Lucky Ball

by Lisa N. Paul

  Had she kicked him in the balls, it would have felt kinder than the verbal punch to the gut he just received. Disappointment washed through his body as a chill grew. Scared to speak, afraid to utter something he couldn’t take back, to reveal his hurt or offer more of his heart, Logan started the car and bumped up the heat.

  “Okay, Wren, but I still need to go in there for a while.” His voice sounded weird to his own ears—flat, sad. “I’ll be at least a half hour. I’ll try to be quicker.”

  The interior light came on when he opened the door, but he didn’t turn around to look at Wren. He couldn’t. Wren called his name as he exited the truck, effectively stopping him from shutting the door, but when he gave her his attention, she just stared at him silently. Water-filled blue eyes and a silent mouth. He closed the door and walked away from her just as quietly.

  As much as he wanted her in his life, he needed her to choose him too, and if she wasn’t willing or able to do that, then he needed to reevaluate their relationship. He wasn’t giving up yet—he already cared about her too much—but he needed to find a way to get her to see that a future with him could be a hell of a lot better than one with the damn toy she refused to put down.

  Deflated, Logan trudged through the doors of SoM. Never since the day they opened had he walked through the building feeling anything but peace. As always, the hustle and bustle of students running from room to room, music blaring, and phones ringing pulled him out of his reverie and thrust him into the greatness of what got accomplished there each and every day.

  “You’re here, awesome.” Jim, one of his employees and the director of the spring show, greeted Logan as he entered the practice studio.

  The students on stage were deep in the middle of performing the Guns and Roses classic, “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

  “They sound great, don’t they?” Jim smiled, his chest puffed out as he hooked his thumbs into his belt loops and tapped his booted foot in time to the music.

  Watching the kids jam, smiles on some of their faces, concentration etched on others, excitement and pride rolled through Logan. Those kids might not be Axel Rose or Slash, but they were coming into themselves, and that was priceless. He wanted to share this with Wren. Knowing that she loved children, he figured she would have enjoyed this. Not to mention the surprise he had set up for later.

  He shook his head to clear away the disappointment and refocused on the performance. “With the show being only four weeks away, how many songs do the kids still need to learn?”

  Jim’s smile faltered. “That’s one of the reasons I asked you to swing by for rehearsal tonight. Matt Davis.”

  “Ahh, little Matty Davis.” Logan grinned. “That kid can play bass better at nine than most adults I know. Can’t wait to see him in his first show.”

  “Yeah, well, he messed up a song last week during practice, and since then, he refuses to play. We can’t have an eighties rock concert without Bon Jovi’s, ‘Livin’ On A Prayer.’” Jim put up his hand. “Before you say anything, yes, I realize that we can’t force him to play and that there are other students more than capable of stepping in. But honestly, I’m worried that if Matty doesn’t play in this show, he may shy away from playing in public altogether. He may be talented, but he’s still so young. He thinks forgetting some notes in front of the older kids was unforgivable. I’ve tried to talk to him. So have some of the other students. I figured you may be just what he needs. He’s in the lobby with his mom. I asked them to wait around after his private lesson.”

  “Poor kid. Let me see what I can do. Be back in a few.” Removing the orange noise-canceling plugs from his ears, Logan left the practice room and searched the lobby for Matty.

  The kid had a head full of bright red hair that was nearly impossible to miss, even in a crowded space. That, however, wasn’t what grabbed Logan’s attention. No, what grabbed him by the jugular was the gorgeous woman sitting cross-legged on the floor by Matty’s feet. A smiling Matty. One who looked ready to take on the world.

  Stealthily, so as not to disturb them, Logan crept over to the duo. Matty’s mom looked up, gratitude and relief on her face as she winked at Logan.

  “Thank you, Miss Wren. For real, like, I feel a lot better now.” Matty giggled. “All I did was miss a few chords, not puke.” The kid grabbed his guitar case, waved good-bye to his mom and Wren and headed toward the practice room. “Oh, hey, Logan. Can’t talk—I’m late for practice. I hope Jim isn’t too angry with me.”

  “I think you’ll be fine this time.” Logan chuckled as he watched the door close behind the boy. Questions swirled through his brain. Where did he begin?

  “You’ve got yourself a wonderful woman here, Logan,” Mrs. Davis said as she stood up from the oversized couch. “Matty was planning on dropping out of the show. We were waiting around because he wanted to tell you himself.”

  Shit, that was exactly what Jim had feared. Poor little guy must have really flubbed the song for him to want to drop out of a show he had been stoked to be invited to be part of.

  Logan thumbed in the direction of the studio. “That did not look like a child ready to quit. So what happened?”

  “She happened.” Mrs. Davis pointed at Wren, who had quietly gotten to her feet after Matty left. “Wren singlehandedly changed my boy’s mind.”

  “That’s not exactly true, Mrs. Davis.” The pink stain that bloomed over Wren’s cheeks told Logan Mrs. Davis’s assessment was on point. “I’m so glad I helped, but I honestly didn’t do much. I came in here looking for you.” Her eyes locked on his, the apology in them clear. “You weren’t around, but I saw Matty sitting alone on the edge of the sofa, twisting his fingers into origami.”

  “I was in the restroom,” Mrs. Davis interrupted.

  “Of course,” Wren said sincerely, “but I didn’t know that at the time. His little face broke my heart, so I approached him. At first he didn’t talk to me, which I totally understood, being that I’m a stranger and all, but after I introduced myself and told him I was your girlfriend…” She shrugged as if wondering if that was still the case. “He told me all about his musical mishap.”

  “By that point I was watching them, but I didn’t want to interrupt. Matty was so animated while speaking to you, Wren. I thought my presence might shut him down,” Mrs. Davis interjected.

  Curiosity, happiness, and confusion pinged through Logan as if he were a pinball machine. He still had so many questions. “Keep going, Wren. I still don’t understand how you turned Matty into what I saw.”

  “He was embarrassed, scared that not only would the older kids think poorly of him, but that he would mess up again… worse. He told me his teacher had tried to convince him that everyone makes mistakes, so I took it one step further.” Wren showed him her cell phone. “I googled musicians who messed up on stage. Justin Bieber puked during a concert and kept singing; Katy Perry fell offstage during her performance—more than once—; Miley Cyrus flubbed on live TV; Lenny Kravitz split his pants during a sold-out show. There were so many more… I think he realized that messing up can be just as epic as playing well.”

  The woman was amazing. What she did may have seemed underwhelming to her, but that small gesture had made all the difference to an embarrassed nine-year-old boy.

  “That look, the one on your face right now?” Mrs. Davis pointed at Logan. “That’s the same look my son had when he spoke to Wren. Keep her close, Logan. You just might have yourself some competition.” Mrs. Davis giggled as she headed for the door. “I’ll be back at eight-thirty to pick Matty up. Great to meet you, Wren. I look forward to seeing you again, and thank you.”

  “You too, Alice. You’re welcome.”

  “Alice, huh?” Logan teased after Mrs. Davis had left the building. “We all call her Mrs. Davis and not once has she corrected us.”

  The bright smile that split Wren’s face went straight to her eyes. “Guess she likes me a whole lot.”

  “I can see why.”

  “Logan, I’m
sor—”

  “Wait.” Logan had no desire to have a private conversation in the lobby. Instead, he reached for her hand and headed through the door to the conference room, where they could talk uninterrupted. “I need to know, Wren—what made you go against your ball?”

  Just the thought that she’d ignored the thing fueled him with more happiness than he should admit, but something inside him needed to know why she had finally chosen to break her habit.

  *

  Go against the Fortune Ball? No way. Without it, I’d fuck up everything in my life. “I can’t go against the ball, Logan. You know that.”

  Logan’s brow furrowed. “You are here right now, right?”

  “Yes.” She giggled. “I was sitting in the truck, feeling horrible for letting you down, when I remembered something you told me.” When his only response was more brow furrowing, Wren continued. “The night of the cookiesex, you said to ask the ball small questions—that way there was room to work around the answers. When we were in the car, I asked if I could go into the building with you. Once I remembered our conversation, I asked different questions until I got the answer I wanted.”

  “Sooo, you made your own choice?”

  Wren’s insides twisted as his question sparked confusion—her own choice? “No, I just did the same thing you told me to do last week. I asked different questions.”

  As if shuffling through his words, Logan opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it once more. “Wren, you were scared to come in with me. It was written all over your face, the same as your relief when your ball gave you an excuse not to. I guess I’m wondering, what changed your mind?”

  It was a fair question, and he had every right to ask since he was one hundred percent correct. She had been scared. Scared of being somewhere unfamiliar, scared of meeting the people Logan spent his time with, scared of being judged and coming up short. Even though her feelings for Logan were growing stronger by the day, fear still reared its ugly head. But seeing the hurt and disappointment on his face and knowing she had put it there was worse.

  “I needed to see what you wanted to show me.” Wren placed her palms against Logan’s hard chest. “I’m sorry. I know I let you down. The ball has a wacky way of doing things and it may take me longer to get where I need to go, but eventually, I will get there.”

  Sighing, Logan leaned forward and rested his lips on the top of her head. “Gotta be honest with you, Lucky. I’m not a big fan of the ball.”

  She lifted her face to meet his lips. “You didn’t seem to mind it so much last weekend.”

  “Touché.” His warm breath tickled her scalp. “Come on.”

  Her hand was once again engulfed in his as he opened the conference room door and led her further down the hallway. “Now where are we going?”

  “I told you I have surprises for you. First, dinner.”

  The placard on the door had his name engraved on it, so she figured he must have dropped his coat in his office when he first arrived. She hadn’t expected him to open the door to a softly lit room set up like a romantic picnic. “Oh… my…”

  “We’re about a half hour behind schedule, so I’m not sure how hot things will be, but the bags are all insulated and there’s a microwave in the kitchen if we need it.”

  Wide-eyed, Wren looked around the office. There was so much to see, from the vase of purple tulips to the bucket of ice chilling a large bottle of water—it was a work night after all—to the white-and-lavender plaid blanket spread over the leather sofa like an invitation just waiting to be accepted. So much effort, so much beauty, and she had nearly ruined it.

  The need to repeat her apology bubbled from her chest. “I am so, so sorry. You must have been really pissed with me.”

  “No, babe, I wasn’t pissed. Don’t get me wrong, I was unhappy, but mostly I was hurt. I’m not used to this whole relationship thing, yet since the moment I met you, it’s the only thing that feels right. I want us to share with each other, and this place—all of the schools, but this one in particular—means the world to me. That’s why I wanted to share it with you.”

  “It’s amazing, Lo. Will you show me more after dinner?”

  “You bet your sweet ass I will. Because your second surprise comes after dinner.”

  “More cookies?”

  “No, sorry, not cookies. Most people would think my surprise is better than cookies, but you’re not most people. I won’t be offended if your reaction last weekend was better than tonight, but do me a favor…fake it.”

  *

  He watched Wren sleep—her naked body twisted in the sheets, long lashes resting on high cheekbones, her lips slightly parted as her chest lifted with each soft breath. She looked beautiful, innocent, unburdened by her past. Logan could stare at her for hours, or until exhaustion finally pulled him under.

  While their night had started off shaky, it ended up being one of the best he had ever had. Wren may not have realized it, but she had manipulated her ball until it gave her the answer she desired. That in and of itself was a huge step, and hopefully one that would lead to ultimately getting rid of the damn ball once and for all. However, it was what had happened once she entered Shades of Music that rocked his world.

  His woman was made to be an early education teacher. The natural grace she possessed with both Matty and his mother was something a person was born with, and she had it in buckets. Logan couldn’t force her to leave her current job, but it was his mission to show her the potential she was obviously blind to.

  As always, Wren didn’t just enjoy dinner; she appreciated the entire experience. He loved watching her eyes light up each time she noticed something else that he had done for her. How many women got excited over chilled bottled water? Only one… and she had been in his office that night, speechless as he poured said water into wine glasses.

  It amazed him how after only a few weeks, she trusted him with her food selections. The way she licked her lips when he poured the seafood bisque had made his throat dry and his cock come to life. As he explained each food, he no longer saw fear but hunger. Hunger that he assumed was for more than the items on their plates.

  “While this is not your surprise, I do have dessert for you,” he said after they finished eating. From the basket, he pulled out two heart-shaped shortbread cookies from the Panera Bread Company and chuckled as Wren’s eyes doubled in size.

  “I can’t begin to imagine what the big reveal is, because those cookies are pretty freaking great.” She grabbed for the cookie only to have Logan whisk it away from her reach. “Tease.” She pouted.

  “Hmm, you really want this cookie? What are you willing to do for it?”

  Desire flashed in her blue eyes. “What do you want?”

  What he wanted was for her to come to him, to make a move. Instead he growled, “You look hungry. Show me how much you want this heart.”

  Energy zapped through the room as Wren licked her lush bottom lip before sinking to the floor. “I’m so hungry, Logan.” Her voice was a sultry stroke that got him hard without even the first touch of her hand.

  His belt buckle clanked and leather whooshed as she yanked it from the loops of his jeans. Those were the only sounds he heard over the beating of his heart. Within a second, she had his jeans unbuttoned and the zipper lowered. Had he not been so fucking turned on, he would have asked if she thought her cookie was buried in his pants. But there was no more blood flowing to his brain, so no witty comments could be made. Instead, he mutely lifted his hips when she pulled down his pants and underwear.

  “It feels like I’ve been waiting forever to do this to you.”

  When her soft hand gripped his hardness, Logan’s eyes rolled back in his head. “Fuck.”

  Her touch was amazing. He peeled open his lids just in time to see Wren’s head lower to his cock. First her soft tongue traced across the engorged head, lapping up the fluid he had leaked the minute she touched him.

  “Mmm… I love the way you taste,” she murmured before su
cking his length.

  “Jesus…” He slid his hands through her dark hair. Watching himself slide in and out of her mouth was an erotic fantasy, but when her blue eyes lifted to his as he hit the back of her throat… there were no words for that. Tingles raced up his spine as his body shook with impending orgasm. “Wren… baby, I’m gonna come.”

  The moan that rumbled through her body as her hands splayed across his hips, keeping her planted exactly where she was, set him off. She sucked him harder, milking his climax as if it were her own.

  Breathless, a partially naked Logan stared at the woman still on her knees. Swollen lips, pink cheeks, lust-filled eyes… God, he wanted her. Anticipation still etched on her features, she leaned forward, making his dick twitch.

  “Your turn, beautiful.”

  “Mhmm.” She wagged her brows in a sexy way as her left hand slid slowly up her thigh, fingers walking toward the spot his mouth longed to be.

  Aroused, Logan watched as she rocked onto her fingers. “Come here, Wren. Let me satisfy you.”

  Quick as lightning, her right hand grabbed the cookie that lay forgotten on the couch cushion beside him. After removing it from the wrapper, Wren took a generous bite. “Mmm, I’m totally satisfied… for now.”

  When she winked, he could do nothing more than throw his head back and laugh.

  After dinner—and dessert—Logan showed her around the building and introduced her to the instructors. Her nerves seemed to be nothing more than a distant memory as she chatted with his friends and laughed at their stories. It wasn’t until his coworkers had all left for the evening that the real fun began.

  Tapping out a quick text on his phone, he led her, his arm wrapped around her waist, to the heavy door on the opposite end of the building. “I left the best part of the school for last. Through this door is the auditorium. It’s where our stage is set up. The school does about twelve different shows each year—various genres to showcase all types of musicians. Each show runs for two nights. I basically created the entire program to revolve around the shows. I wanted the kids to have the opportunity to jam together for themselves and for a crowd.” His hand moved over the door handle. “We also use this space for something else…”