by Skyla Carter
"Man, I wish I was Ken right now," Brian said.
"Will you quit talking about that already?" Dave snapped. "Finish up, I need an early night. It's been a long day."
From his seat at the bar, another man watched her. He'd been watching her since she made her entrance and hadn't been able to tear his eyes off her since. The woman was like a witch, casting her spell on every person in the room, making everyone drool. All he was thinking was how he'd love to pull her away from Copeland and Kennedy and fuck her right there on the dance floor. He hadn't felt like that in a long time.
But he knew he'd be way out of his depth. He didn't do one night stands and this woman clearly lived for them. She loved attention, judging by the way she was lapping it all up on the dance floor and by all the exploits he's read about in the papers and magazines. Yes, he knew all about her. The girl had been around the block so many times and so fast she should have, by rights, been reeling. Girls like that made him sick. What made them think they could get away with that? He didn't conform to rules either, but the last thing he'd do was use another human being even if they were willing.
Besides, the woman was already taken. He'd watched her with Steele a few times. The last thing he wanted was to start something with a woman in love with someone else.
"She's hot, isn't she?" Matt asked his brother.
Nate turned away from the scene and ordered another drink.
"I guess," he answered.
Of course she was hot. The problem was that she knew it.
"I wouldn't mind if she came up to me and paid me that sort of attention," Matt chuckled as he continued to look at the trio.
"I know. You've mentioned that a few times."
"Are you telling me that you wouldn't do her? I know you're still hurting, Nate, but how could you resist that?"
"I don't like my women loose and fancy free."
"Not for a permanent relationship, no," Matt said. "But it doesn't hurt to have fun once in a while."
Nate only grunted.
"Come on, Nate. Loosen up a bit. I brought you out to enjoy yourself," Matt said, ordering another drink. "Stop sitting there like your cat just died. If you don't like Rae, there are plenty of other nice women in here."
"I don't need a woman to enjoy myself," Nate stated.
"But they help," Matt chuckled as a brunette in tight jeans and a tight top brushed past him and gave him a wicked smile.
"Why don't you go ahead," Nate suggested when he noticed the little exchange. "I'll be fine."
"You sure?" Matt asked, but he was already following the woman.
Nate shook his head and drained his drink. He'd have one more then he'd go. As he ordered it, he couldn't help looking at the trio again. He didn't need a second guess to know where they were going to end up later. He shook his head and looked away. How could anyone be so blatantly sexual? It was as if she wore a sign that said 'fuck me, I'm easy'!
Well, maybe it was better like that, when you knew what you were getting right from the start. It had taken him so many years to finally see through Beth and realise she wore the same sign. He was finding it hard to trust any woman after that. How could he have been so blind when so much of it had gone on right in front of his eyes? Well, he wasn't doing that again in a hurry.
Draining his drink, he got up to make his way out but backed into someone.
"Sorry," he started, turning around.
"Don't worry about it. I like being bumped into."
Nate looked straight into the blue eyes of the woman who'd been the talk of the whole company since she arrived only two days before. Then she gave him a wicked smile as Kennedy and Adam led her out of the club.
He shook his head again at the sight then also made his exit. What he needed was an early night. If he didn't dream about Beth, at least he'd have a few hours' break from thoughts of that cheating, lying bitch.
Chapter Five
Rae had been kicking herself since she left Adam's room, which was only an hour ago. She'd arrived only three days ago and she'd already slept with four people. It didn't help that Corey had just laughed in her face about it. She knew he didn't think she could stick to just one person but that was because he didn't understand how vital it was that she did. John had been more sympathetic, telling her that she just needed a bit of self-control and she'd do it, but that was the one thing she'd never been able to master. If she could control herself, she wouldn't have been such a mess, would she?
The elevator stopped and when it opened revealed the one person she didn't really want to deal with. He was with Kendrick.
"Hi," Dave said as they got in.
"Hey," she smiled then looked away.
See, in the past she never had any of these awkward situations. She would have easily blanked him out and blatantly gone to work on his friend. She'd never given a shit about anyone else. But now she was trying to be nice. After sleeping with him the other morning, he had cuddled her and tried to start talking. The boredom had set in straight away. It wasn't that he was boring, in fact he was far from it, but she had found she still couldn't stand conversation with a conquest. She found it pointless. So instead of getting to know him like she had planned, she'd had to tell him she would never be with him again. She hadn't said it in a nice way, either.
"I'm Brian."
Rae looked at the eager young man next to Dave and smiled. The old Rae would have eaten him up right there. He was giving out the unmistakable signals but he was still so green. She could teach him a thing or two.
"Nice to meet you, Brian," she said, then turned back to her diligent inspection of the elevator buttons.
"Did you have a nice night?" Dave asked.
Was that a hint of sarcasm? With a frown she turned her head to face the Animal and saw the expression in his eyes. So he knew about her little party?
"Very nice, thank you," she answered drily.
He would get over it.
"I don't get you," Dave started. "I don't get you at all."
"You don't have to," she smiled, letting out a silent prayer of thanks when the doors opened on the ground floor. "Have a nice life, Dave. And it was a pleasure meeting you, Brian."
With that she walked out, looking so good no one would have guessed she was running on no sleep.
Irving and the Cage Takedown roster were leaving the hotel that morning but Final Battle was staying on because the show that night was at the Blackhorn Center where they had held the Hall of Fame Ceremony on Saturday. She walked into the restaurant at eight as they had agreed, and saw him seated at a far corner. Stifling a little yawn, she made her way to him and hoped he wouldn't tell she was fresh out of an all night long tumble. Adam and Ken were... energetic, to say the least. They had more than kept up with her gigantic appetite which had come as a pleasant surprise. She had almost wished the morning wouldn't come but inevitably, it had and she'd had to tell them they could never do that again. There had never been a question of finding her Mr. Right between them. You couldn't start a relationship with someone you had a three-way with, even she knew that. There would be too many trust issues involved.
"Rough night?" Irving as when she'd sat down.
"Yeah. Something like that."
"I heard some things earlier about what you did last night with Copeland and Kennedy," Irving frowned.
Rae stopped her perusal of the menu and gave him a sharp look.
"Are you honestly trying to 'Daddy' me right now?" she asked with a sarcastic laugh.
"Well, I am your dad."
"Yeah, well I was doing mighty fine without you," Rae said as she put the menu down.
Irving held her angry gaze with one of his own, one that would have made bigger, stronger men look away. But Rae was as stubborn as they came. She was, after all, his daughter.
"Are we back to this again?" Irving asked finally. "If your idea of getting to know me is taking what you want and leaving what you don't like, then I'm sorry, little girl, that won't happen. I'm your father, I
have a right to question your choices. You don't necessarily have to take my advice but I have a right to let you know what I think, to give you guidance."
"I'm 25 now, I don't need anyone's approval to do what I want. I know what's wrong and right and most of the time I choose what's wrong. That's my choice," Rae stated, her back up. She knew that sounded totally spoiled but she was kicking herself over the previous night as well. No one would take her seriously after that and she didn't need Irving telling her that. "I've seen how Corey is with you, how he's afraid to say anything wrong. I won't do that."
Irving put his menu down and folded his arms as he sat back in his chair.
"What do you want from me, Rachael?"
Rachael looked away from him and started fiddling with her menu. She wasn't going about this the right way, was she? She couldn't expect to build a relationship with Irving if she was as stubborn and selfish as she'd been before she had put him down on the list. She couldn't separate him from the rest of her life.
"Well?" Irving asked.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "A year and a half ago you suddenly became the only family I have. I decided I have to get to know you but we are very different people. You're cozy nights in and good conversations while I party hard and live fast."
"Trust me, that's usually the way with parents and their kids."
"Yeah, but we're doing this 25 years too late. I don't know what to do," she stated. "That and the fact that I'm sure you won't like me once you know me. I'm the type of person who kicks people when they are down and laugh in the face of their misfortunes. I do bad things just for fun. I can count my real friends on two fingers. My life so far has been totally meaningless and I guess I thought building a relationship with you would somehow give it a bit of meaning, that maybe I'd matter to someone other than Corey and John."
"What are you talking about? Of course you matter. I might not have found you till you were sixteen but I thought of you everyday. If I had known Rebecca had got married and her new name, I'd have found you sooner, please believe me."
"I know. It's just... I didn't want to be alone anymore."
Irving put his hand over hers on the table, forcing her to look at him.
"You have me and Sara, you're not alone," he said. "And for the record, I know what type of person you are. I've had ten years of you, remember?"
"And you're still here," Rae stated.
"I'm still here," he smiled. "So what do you say we take one day at a time till you get used to the fact that I will in fact try my hardest to force my will on you. That is what parents do, isn't it?"
"I think you've read the wrong parenting books," Rae laughed.
"What do you think that's all about?" Matt asked his brother.
"Stop being nosey," Nate chided as he gave his order.
"Come on, aren't you even a bit curious? I've never seen Irving smile like that. You think maybe..."
"Eeeww!" Nate cut in before his brother could finish the sentence. "That is way too scary to even contemplate. I think maybe they're just friends."
"What would Irving have in common with her?"
"Maybe she's got hidden depths."
Matt guffawed .
"Yeah, right!" he said.
"Just order your breakfast, Matt. You still have to look at my sketches before you catch your plane," Nate said.
"Why don't you do what normal people do and maybe just buy dad a car?" Matt asked.
"That would be completely meaningless and not me," Nate stated. "Besides, he's going to love it once it's done. It's of mum."
It was 21 years that year since their mother had passed away from brain cancer but her memory was alive and well in the Nate family. Nate liked to think she was always looking down at him and protecting him.
"I'm sure it's brilliant, as all you work is," Matt said to his little brother.
Rae paled as she felt the splitting headache. Shit! Of all the times for that to come on...
"Are you all right?" Irving asked.
"Yeah, I just need to go lie down for a bit," she lied as she quickly got up.
They had long since finished their breakfast and had just been talking over coffee.
"I'll walk you to your door."
"No, it's all right. I just overdid it last night," she lied again. "Finish your coffee. Call me anytime, Corey told me to stress that point."
She gave him a quick kiss and an impulsive little hug.
"Maybe I'll come visit you for a few days when you're home."
"I'd love that," Irving smiled. "Now go, you look like you're about to lose your breakfast."
She did as she was told and rushed out of the restaurant. When she knew she was out of sight, she ruffled through her bag until she found what she was looking for. She didn't realise the two men waiting at the elevators were watching her as she popped the pills down. All she needed now was to get to her room and pop a sleeping pill down her. Corey wouldn't ask any questions, he already knew she hadn't got any sleep the previous night.
"A bitch and a junkie! Who would have guessed?" a voice said sarcastically.
She heard it, but it was more like a loud humming noise, grating on her over-sensitive nerves. Leaning against the wall, she waited for the doors to open, praying that she wouldn't pass out before she got to her bed. She should have planned for this, worked out a way to avoid Corey and John when she had her attacks. The last thing she wanted was to pass out in front of them and wake up in a hospital.
"Are you still drunk?" another voice asked.
The sound of it cut through her like a knife, making her wince. It was unbearable. How the hell was she going to go through the next few weeks like this?
The doors opened and she stumbled in.
"Are you all right?"
Couldn't these people just stop talking? Grabbing on to the railing, she waited what seemed like an eternity for them to follow her in and the doors to close. At this rate, she wouldn't make it to her bed in time.
"What floor?"
Oh, God! No, she wouldn't make it. She held on as hard as she could but she knew that wouldn't stop her from hitting the floor. Her head felt like it was exploding into a million little pieces, painfully reforming then exploding all over again. Her ears were ringing and her vision was blurred. She felt the darkness coming, felt the strength leave her body as she started to slide to the floor. She felt strong hands catch her and she looked up to catch a glimpse of rainbow coloured hair.
"Don't take me to Corey...just let me sleep," she whispered hoarsely just as the darkness came.
"You heard what she said, man. She obviously doesn't want Corey to see her like this," Nate said as they both looked down at the blonde they had just put down on the bed.
"She passed out, Nate. We should at least get a doctor or something," Matt argued. "What if she dies on us?"
"She said to just let her sleep. Obviously this has happened to her before," Nate said.
"Well, we owe her nothing. Lets just take her to Corey and let him worry about it," Matt said.
"Tell you what. You go get your stuff, you'll miss your plane. I'll get Corey to sort her out," Nate suggested.
"I know you, Nate. You won't do it," Matt said. "If I go, the next thing I'll hear is how someone died on your bed and no one knew about it till the next day."
"Look, I'm calling Corey now," he said as he found his number in his phone book. "Just go catch your plane, I'll sort it."
"Call him while I'm here."
Nate rolled his eyes and pushed his phone in his brother's face so he could see him press the call button.
"Happy?" he asked as he put the phone to his ear.
Before the phone had a chance to ring, he pressed the end call button.
"Yeah, hi Corey," he said after a suitable amount of time passed. "We've got an emergency down here, could you come as quick as you can? Matt is freaking out."
He paused.
"It's your friend, Rae," he said. "She passed out and we
don't know what to do."
He turned back to his brother as if Steele had just hung up.
"He's on his way. Now go. You've only just got back, you don't want Vince on your ass so soon."
"All right, but call me and tell me what happens," Matt said as he gave his brother a quick hug and rushed to the door. "You'll have to take a picture of your sketches and text it to me or something. I'll see you soon."
"Take care of yourself, Matty."
When his brother was gone, Nate walked back to his bed. He should have just rang Steele, the last thing he needed right now was drama. Especially if it involved the drugs he had seen her take. He'd caught a glimpse of the label and thought how, not so long ago he'd had a whole carton of those at his disposal. It had nearly cost him his career. He knew why he'd needed such strong painkillers, but why the hell was she taking them? They didn't give those out on prescriptions, he knew that.
Attentively, he put his fingers on the side of her neck to feel her pulse. She wasn't dying, as Matt had claimed. He pulse was weak but it was there. She had just passed out. It could have been the amount of alcohol she had consumed the night before. It could be the lack of sleep from the activities Kennedy was bragging about to anyone who'd listen. She was a party girl, obviously she didn't look after herself properly. That had to be it. Maybe someone had told her it was cool to do the drugs she did. She certainly looked like she had tried everything decadent and addictive more than once in the course of her life.
She stirred and Nate was immediately drawn back from his musings. The first thing he noticed was the expression of pain on her face as she tried to move her head. Her eyes were closed but he heard her whimper and saw the tears that slid down the sides of her face. That didn't look like a hangover to him. What the hell was going on with her? Should he call the doctor?
"Please..." she moaned. "Give me some more painkillers."
"Shh. You've just had some. Give them time to work," he whispered back, a frown marring his features.
"It hurts... I can't do this...," she cried.