On the Ropes

by Dania Voss

  Mel took a business card out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Abbey. Wanting to be polite, she accepted it and then noticed Luke gracefully pass Amy over to Heath and Leah to continue dancing with.

  “It’s obvious that Luke Stryker is a part of your reboot weekend, but after the weekend is over and he’s left, give me a call. Let me take you to dinner sometime.”

  Abbey tucked Mel’s business card into her evening bag as Luke stalked toward them. His determined, purposeful strides made quick work of eating up the distance between them. He looks more than a little angry. She held her breath.

  “Johnson. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Luke’s tone dripped with sarcasm and disdain.

  Mel’s eye grew wide and he shook his head. “No, not at all, boss. I was just introducing myself to the maid of honor, and enjoying a celebratory drink together, right, Abbey?” Mel looked nervously to her for corroboration.

  A little part of Abbey got turned on by Luke’s alpha male behavior, but she didn’t care for Luke’s intimidation tactics toward his employee. There was no need for it. Mel was harmless.

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be an ass, Luke.” Abbey saw Mel wince. Poor guy. He’d probably never consider of insulting the great Luke Stryker.

  Luke raised a brow, glaring hard at her. He turned to Mel, who downed his scotch in one gulp. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was an ass. Was I an ass, Mel?”

  “Shit,” Mel muttered under his breath. He glanced down at his shoes like they were the most interesting things in the world. He looked up at Luke and shook his head. “No, of course not. Not at all.”

  Abbey’s temper bristled as Luke continued to behave like an ass toward Mel. He needed to stop. Now. “Luke, that’s enough.”

  Luke nodded tersely. “You’re right, princess. I’ve had enough.” Luke turned to Mel and gestured to his empty tumbler. “Looks like you need a refill, Mel.”

  Likely relieved to be given an out, Mel held his tumbler up in salute and bolted to the bar without saying a word.

  Abbey was ready to throttle Luke. He was out of control. “I really don’t appreciate—”

  Luke grabbed the champagne glass out of Abbey’s hand, drained the contents, and slammed it onto the nearest table. “You want to know what I don’t appreciate? I don’t appreciate you throwing yourself at some stiff when you’re supposed to be with me.”

  Abbey gasped. How dare Luke say that? Was he serious right now? “Look, I wasn’t throwing myself at anyone. I was having a drink. Mel came up to me. I know you know that because I saw you watching me from the dance floor, so back off.”

  Luke balled his hands into fists. “Not happening, princess. In fact, I’d say now is a good time for us to have a private chat about that night. You’ve put me off long enough.”

  Not this again. Why won’t he let this go?

  Abbey’s temper rose to a full boil. She would make different plans for her reboot weekend. Luke had left her no choice. “I told you. There’s nothing to say about that night. And I’ve changed my mind about this weekend. Reboot with someone else.”

  Luke stepped up close. Abbey had to crane her neck to look him in the eye. His beautiful blue eyes bore down on her, fierce with rage. Abbey wasn’t afraid. She knew Luke wouldn’t hurt her, not physically. Her heart was a different story.

  “Not happening. We’re going to talk privately and continue on with our weekend together.” Luke took her by the hand and led her to the banquet room doors.

  Abbey tried to pull away but Luke wouldn’t let her go. “I told you, I have nothing to say about that night. And our weekend is over. Maybe I’ll really go throw myself at Mel.” She didn’t know why she said that. She didn’t mean it. She wasn’t interested in Mel at all. She’d been looking forward to spending time with Luke—in bed, even if for just the weekend. Come Monday, she’d deal with the harsh realities of her life—unemployed and alone.

  “Really? You have nothing to say? Nothing at all? You walked out that night without a word. After ten years, you expect me to believe there’s not one thing you want to say to me?” Luke dragged her through the banquet room doors despite her best efforts to resist and the questioning looks from wedding guests.

  Once they were in the hallway, Abbey noticed the several of Luke’s security goons stand at attention. All of them wearing dark suits and ear pieces. Real subtle, Luke. Luke’s security detail had kept the paparazzi away, at least. She was grateful for Jake’s and Cassie’s sake.

  “Yes, that’s what I’m saying. I have nothing to say to you about that night.” Abbey was lying, of course. There had been so much she had wanted to say. Back then. Now, though, she didn’t see what difference it would make. What’s done is done.

  Rocco burst out of the banquet room with a concerned look in his dark eyes. The other members of the security team looked to him for guidance.

  “That’s such bullshit and you know it. I think you have plenty to say but you’re afraid to say it.”

  Abbey scoffed. She wasn’t afraid. She was hurting. Still hurting almost as if she had walked in on him with that groupie slut yesterday. The old wounds she had hoped were healed after ten years had burst wide open when she’d seen Luke in the church vestibule. She’d been trying to ignore it, shrug it off, but the hole he’d left in her heart ten years ago was now open and bleeding. After all this time, she still loved him and hated him at the same time. There it was. Abbey didn’t know what to do about it. What could she do? Luke was the one who had dealt their relationship the death blow. Not her.

  He dragged her down the hallway past the restrooms. Abbey tried to pull away but was no match for Luke’s strength. “Stop it! I’m not going anywhere with you!” She didn’t care she was shouting, calling unwanted attention to them.

  Luke turned to her, his anger seeping out of every pore. “Yes, you fucking are. And you’re going to tell me what you’ve wanted to say to me for the last ten years.”

  To her surprise, Luke tossed her over his left shoulder in a fireman’s hold, held on to her legs, and continued down the hallway. Abbey’s hair fell down around her, obstructing her vision. She hit him in the ass repeatedly with her evening bag and kicked her feet. “You asshole! Put me down right now! I’m not saying anything to you!”

  Luke ignored her, and she bounced on his shoulder as he stomped his way to their destination. Abbey felt her shoes fall off but kept on kicking. “My shoes! They’re expensive! I had them dyed special to match my dress!”

  “Rocco, get her fucking shoes!”

  From Abbey’s limited vision she could tell Luke was walking through a doorway. She heard the door click closed. He gently set her down on her stocking-covered feet and she felt dizzy as the blood rushed out of her head. She panted, and she swayed, pushing Luke away when he tried to steady her.

  Abbey pulled her hair away from her face and tossed her evening bag on the large dining table that looked like it sat about twenty people. It was covered in a bright white tablecloth with bright white, elegantly folded cloth napkins placed around the table at each chair.

  Abbey sat down in the nearest chair and took a few deep breaths, slowly feeling the dizziness subside. Luke sat down next to her but said nothing. His expression was unreadable.

  “Now, tell me what you’ve wanted to say to me about that night.” Luke’s demeanor seemed calm and relaxed but Abbey could sense the tension he was holding in. He was wound tight.

  Abbey didn’t care though. She’d had enough of this game he was playing. “I told you, I have nothing to say.” She started getting out of her chair but he pushed her back down by her shoulders.

  “And I told you, that’s bullshit. Tell me.” His tone was low, growly.

  She shook her head, anger simmering just below the surface. “I don’t care what you think, Luke. Not anymore.” Liar. You care a lot. That’s the problem, isn’t it?

  “Also bullshit, now tell me.” His voice was a little louder now. She wondered if it could be heard
outside the room they were in.

  “Luke, stop already. I want to get back to the reception. So should you.” Her voice rose and her stomach clenched.

  “Not until you tell me!” He slammed a fist on the table with a thud.

  Abbey’s stomach churned as she thought about that night. The sight of Luke and that skanky groupie naked was permanently burned into her brain. The disappointment, betrayal, and anger seared her soul and her heart.

  “No,” she shouted back. Fuck Luke and what he wanted. What about what she wanted? She had wanted to believe Luke loved her and wanted to marry her one day and have a family and all the other things they talked and dreamed about. But life didn’t always give you what you wanted.

  “Tell me right the fuck the now! Say it!” Luke was shouting like Abbey had never heard him before. She didn’t care. He could throw a temper tantrum all he liked.

  “I said no!”

  “Do it! Say it!” He slammed his fist on the table again.

  Abbey’s pulse raced and her temperature rose. Her insides shook with a rage she’d held inside for much too long. Ten fucking years.

  “Fine! You want me to tell you! I will! Her breaths came out in quick pants. “You fucking broke my heart, okay? As soon as you won your first World Series Championship and your career as a pro pitcher took off, you just tossed me aside like was nothing! Nothing! I loved you so much! So fucking much and you didn’t even care! I gave you everything, my virginity, my heart and soul, and you just tossed me aside the first chance you got. And for what? Some groupie whore! There. Is that what you wanted to hear so badly? Are you happy now!”

  Abbey shook, and a flood of tears she’d held in for years streamed down her face. She covered her face with her hands and allowed herself to sob for the first time since she’d walked in on him. All the pain and anger wrenched through her. She heard him get out of his chair, relieved he would finally leave her alone.

  Except Luke kneeled down in front of her and turned her chair to face him directly. He put his hands on hers and pulled them away from her face. She kept her eyes closed, and the tears continued to fall.

  He held her hands tightly. Abbey was annoyed she felt comforted. “No, Abbey, I’m not happy at all. Please open your eyes and look at me.”

  Abbey shook her head. She just wanted to get out of there and be left alone. What a mess. She was Cassie’s maid of honor and was in some small banquet room sobbing her heart out instead of at the reception where she was supposed to be.

  “Please, Abbey,” he said gently.

  She slowly opened her eyes, surprised and heartbroken to find tears streaming down Luke’s cheeks. She was at a loss for words and physically drained.

  “Now please just let me talk and tell you what happened.”

  Abbey wanted to get up, but Luke held on to her hands.

  “Please, let me have my say, and when I’m finished, if you still want to go, I won’t stop you. You have my word.”

  Abbey scoffed. “I’m not sure that means much, Luke.” She hated herself for sounding like a bitch, but when it came to Luke, he had some real credibility issues.

  He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I know it seems that way, but I’m hoping you’ll change your mind in a minute.”

  “All right, then.” Abbey didn’t have it in her to fight anymore. She grabbed one of the cloth napkins nearest to her and wiped her face. Some of her makeup stained the napkin. She’d let Luke have his say and leave. They would be done once and for all. Although she should be happy to finally get closure, the thought hurt deep down to her soul.

  Luke nodded sadly. “You didn’t see what you thought you saw that night.”

  Abbey shook her head. She knew what she saw. Luke and that groupie slut naked after they’d had sex.

  “Listen to me, Abbey. Hear me. I didn’t and would never cheat on you. I swear to you on my parents’ souls.”

  She sighed, not sure what to believe. “But I saw you two, naked.”

  Luke squeezed her hands firmly. “Think back. Try to remember clearly. That bitch was naked, not me. Oh, she got my shirt off, sure, but my jeans were on and zipped. She was a strong drunk. I was a little drunk, but I was fighting her off when you walked in. I kept trying to tell her I was waiting for you, that I was going to celebrate my first World Series win with you.”

  Abbey startled in her chair when a knock sounded at the door. “Luke,” Rocco called out.

  Luke turned to the door. “Everything’s all right, Roc.”

  “Okay, just checking. Take all the time you need,” Rocco said.

  A sliver of hope bloomed in Abbey’s heart. If what Luke was saying were true, how the hell did the groupie get in his room to begin with? Something didn’t add up.

  “How did she get in your room then?” Abbey wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  Luke sighed and shook his head. “How do you think? My scummy ex-agent Earl Jepson.”

  Abbey stomach clenched again. She’d hated Earl Jepson. He’d been a slimy sleazeball as far as she was concerned. He hadn’t been shy about letting her know he didn’t like her. He thought she was holding Luke back and was in the way.

  “Asshole,” she whispered.

  “Fucking right, he was. I’ve never seen Darren so mad when he found out what happened. Fired his ass right away and we’ve been happy with Glenn Milner’s representation ever since. I wish you had let me explain this to you a long time ago.” Luke kissed her knuckles softly. “I loved so you much, Abbey, still do. The way you shut me out all these years broke my heart.”

  She began crying again. Mourning all the years she and Luke had lost because she’d been too hurt and stubborn to let him explain what happened. But what about Brenna? She needed to know the truth about their relationship.

  “I’m so sorry, Luke. I still love you too, I never stopped. But what about Brenna? Cassie suggested you two weren’t really together, whatever that means. What’s going on with her?” Abbey held her breath, waiting for his answer.

  Luke sat back down in his chair. He ran a hand through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Cassie’s right. Brenna and I weren’t really together. I’ve been doing her a favor, a huge favor by pretending to be her boyfriend for the last three years.”

  She didn’t understand. That made no sense. Why would Brenna Sinclair, international film star need a fake boyfriend? Luke must have sensed her confusion and continued.

  “It’s no secret her conservative Baptist minister father doesn’t think much of Hollywood, or her acting career. He’d think even less of Brenna if he knew she preferred women to men. Using me as cover wasn’t so bad. We’d meet up every few months and get some shots taken of us in public, being all PDA and shit until we met up again. I was able to accompany her to a couple of movie premieres. Fans ate it up. She even got me those two small parts in her movies. It was fun, not that different from doing commercials, and I’ve done a ton of those over the years. Bottom line is I consider her a friend. I think you’d like her.”

  That wasn’t what Abbey had expected at all. Luke was right, though. Brenna’s father would have a field day if he found out she was a lesbian. He’d been public about his disappointment in his oldest daughter’s chosen profession. Abbey didn’t even understand his issue with her. Brenna Sinclair was an amazing actress, well-respected, and professional, and she had remained above the fray of drama and scandal typical of Hollywood.

  “Three years is a long time to pretend though,” Abbey heard herself say. She hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

  Luke nodded. “I know. We never meant for it to go on that long. But with both of our schedules being so crazy, before we knew it, three years had passed. But our relationship is over. I’m leaving it up to her as to how she wants to make it public.”

  Abbey felt a renewed sense of hope where she and Luke were concerned. Could they forge a future together after all this time? She looked at him, longing, love, and lust in his sparkling blue eyes. Her heart swell
ed with the love she’d always felt for him and her body flooded with desire as her core slickened. Her heart and body were on board with the possibility of reuniting. Game on!

  Needing to get close to him, she bolted out of her chair and kneeled between his legs. She put her arms around his neck and crushed her lips against his. She felt him smile against her lips as he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

  Luke ran his tongue along the seam of Abbey’s lips and she joyfully opened for him. Their tongues hungrily explored and tangled with each other, both of them ravenous for the other. Abbey deepened the kiss and tugged on Luke’s thick hair. She felt satisfaction as he moaned into her mouth. Abbey put all the emotions she was feeling into their kiss—love, hope, joy, and desire until they pulled apart, both panting.

  “Christ, I love you, princess,” Luke gasped.

  Abbey smiled up at him, a sea of emotions overflowing inside her. “I love you too, so much, Luke. I always have.” She needed him so badly. Her long dress, lingerie, and hose would make getting undressed quickly impossible. She smiled when she looked at Luke’s lap and saw his big dick straining against his tuxedo pants zipper. Is he bigger than I remember? That thought made her even wetter, soaking her panties even more.

  She looked over at the door. “Do you know if there will be an event in this room tonight?”

  He shook his head. “No, there isn’t. As a precaution, I paid the Antonetti’s to keep the other banquet rooms free tonight.”

  Abbey couldn’t believe the lengths Luke had gone through to keep the press away for Jake and Cassie. It made her love him even more. She would show him just how much.