Lightning Strykes

by Sherryl Hancock

  “No, why?” Remington asked, already looking over at Wynter with trepidation.

  “May I?” Wynter asked, gesturing to Remington’s phone.

  “Of course,” Remington said, nodding.

  Wynter picked up Remington’s phone and started to scroll through the messages.

  “Okay, let’s see…” she said, grinning as she saw who all had texted Remington. “We’ve got Quinn, of course, saying that you finally got it right… I do love her… and Xandy who of course is thrilled and says congratulations… Um, oh… Mackie said, and I quote ‘Seriously? You’re killin’ me, Remi!’ but then he has a wink at the end of it… So, I think you’re safe there… Jericho and Zoey send congrats. Jet says good job… I’m a job now? Wow… yeah pretty much everyone else happy for us, congrats, and all…”

  “Gotta love the internet,” Remington said, shaking her head.

  “You really didn’t think this was going to stay a secret, did you?” Wynter asked.

  “It would have been nice to have some privacy,” Remington said wryly.

  “Welcome to my world,” Wynter said, winking at Remington, “nothing I do is secret… Oh lovely…” she said then, her tone changing significantly.

  “What?” Remington asked, glancing over at her.

  “Lauren is talking shit already…” Wynter said.

  “What’s she saying?” Remington asked her tone low.

  Wynter glanced over at Remington and could see that her eyes were narrowed.

  “She’s just complaining about how she knew I was having an affair, blah, blah, blah… She’s playing up the ‘poor me’ angle. Sadly, I’m not surprised at all.”

  Remington made a sucking sound through her teeth. “She’s talking about you having an affair? With me? She’s really pushing her luck at this point.”

  “She’s not the only one talking sh—I mean stuff,” Lissette said, correcting herself before she got into trouble with Remington.

  “What do you mean?” Remington asked.

  “Akasha’s talking about you again,” Lissette said, her tone disgusted.

  Remington sighed, shaking her head. “That’s nothing new.”

  Wynter was looking on her phone and Lissette handed over her own phone. Wynter took it, smiling back at the girl. Then she read the article.

  “Well, this time I’m included in her tirade,” Wynter said, rolling her eyes.

  “What?” Remington asked sharply. “What is she saying about you?”

  “Oh, let’s see,” Wynter said, scrolling back up on the story. “She’s quoted as saying that ‘Remington LaRoché just seems to keep getting lucky with women… too bad she won’t hold onto this one either…’ Oh lovely, she says that maybe she needs to come take care of me for you…” Wynter’s voice trailed off as she saw Remington’s face change, going from being slightly amused to being downright furious.

  She hit the hands-free button on the car’s Bluetooth. “Call Salio,” she practically growled.

  Wynter glanced back as Lissette who was now smiling broadly.

  “Her manager,” Lissette mouthed to Wynter, even as the line started to connect.

  “Well, it’s about fucking time!” exclaimed a man’s voice when he answered the phone.

  Remington gave the dashboard a glowering look, waving her hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, don’t start all the shit, Salio… I’ve been hearing it for over a month now… But now she’s pissed me off, so get me the fight.”

  “You got it,” he said, sounding extremely happy, “when?”

  “Get me some dates from her people. I’m still on this tour after this break, so I need to stay with it.”

  “Okay, how much do you want for the fight?” he asked then.

  “This ain’t about money, Salio. It’s about shutting that bitch up for good,” Remington said sharply.

  “She talked shit about your new girl, I saw that…” Salio said, looking at his computer with the picture of Akasha Salt talking to the press.

  “And she went too far,” Remington said. “So now I’m going to jam that shit right back down her throat.”

  Salio laughed, sounding very pleased to hear it. “Good to have you back.”

  “I’m not back, this isn’t about my title, this about honor,” Remington said, glancing over at Wynter who was watching her with wide eyes. She’d never seen this side of Remington, and she really liked it. “Oh, and Salio, get me a trainer, I need someone who can travel with the tour.”

  “Who’re you thinking?” Salio asked.

  “If you can get Kai, do it, she’s good with fast results,” Remington said.

  Salio gave a low whistle. “If I can even get her, she’ll cost you a fortune.”

  “Don’t care, I need the best right now,” Remington said.

  “Okay, sis, you got it, I’m on it. I’ll call you back with details.”

  “Thanks Salio,” Remington said, nodding.

  “I’ve missed ya, kid,” Salio said.

  Remington chuckled, nodding. “Missed you too, Salio.”

  They hung up a couple of minutes later.

  “So, let me get this straight…” Wynter said in the ensuing silence after the phone call. “She talks all kinds of shit about you,” she said, circling her finger to encompass all the things Akasha had been saying for months. “But that’s not a matter of honor?”

  Remington curled her lips in grin as she shook her head.

  “But she talks shit about me one time, and now you’re going to kick her ass?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Remington said. At Wynter’s perplexed look, she explained, “When I got into MMA I knew that other fighters would talk garbage, that’s what a lot of them do, especially Akasha. And I accepted that as being part of the sport. When I retired, I knew I’d still hear some crap, and that’s okay with me too. But someone starts talking about you… That’s not okay with me. You didn’t sign up for that like I did.”

  “Actually, becoming a rock star means you sign up for whatever people want to say about you, babe,” Wynter said, winking at Remington. “I’m used to it too.”

  “Yes, well, I can’t do anything about what others say or have said, but I can do something about Akasha’s mouth, and I’m going to,” Remington said.

  Wynter looked back at Remington and smiled fondly. It was definitely a different feeling having someone stand up for her. Lauren had never stood up for her; she’d just told her to get thicker skin. Remington made her feel protected and appreciated. It was a great feeling.

  The shopping trip ended up taking longer than expected because Wynter couldn’t find anything she liked. At one store, while Wynter was in the dressing room making noises about nothing looking right, Remington called her mother. When Wynter emerged from the dressing room, still having found nothing she liked, Remington stood up.

  “Come on,” she said, nodding toward the front of the store.

  “Where are we going?” Wynter asked, glancing over at Lissette as she followed Remington.

  “My mother had a suggestion, I want to check it out,” Remington said, offering Wynter her arm.

  “Okay,” Wynter said, smiling as she took Remington’s arm with both of her hands.

  Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of a vintage clothing store.

  “I think I love your mother…” Wynter said as she looked at the clothes in the window.

  A half an hour later, Wynter had bought a dress and shoes that she wouldn’t let Remington see.

  “I want to surprise you,” Wynter told Remington.

  “Alright,” Remington said, grinning.

  They had an early dinner at a local Italian restaurant where many of the people seemed to know Remington. Apparently, she’d come to Louisville a lot over the years. Wynter found it refreshing to be the ‘girlfriend’ of a star, instead of the star. She sat back and watched Remington smile and talk to people. She seemed much more comfortable here than she had in New York. It was a really nice day.

 
; The following day was much more surprising. Wynter got the opportunity to see how good of a horsewoman Remington really was. Apparently, riding since she was three years old had given her an extremely good command of the art. The first thing that surprised her was the attire Remington wore: knee-high leather boots and leather gloves, a collared button up shirt, jeans, and her leather Affliction jacket. Wynter found it very attractive, and so very different from what she’d seen Remington in previously.

  As they walked to the stables, Remington told her things about the farm, what they did, how they operated. Wynter found it all extremely interesting.

  “We’ve had four Kentucky Derby Winners come out of LaRoché farms,” Remington proclaimed proudly.

  Wynter nodded, smiling. She wasn’t sure she understood how big of a deal it was but from the look on Remington’s face, it must have been a big deal. Inside the stables, Remington walked over to one of the stalls on the end, giving a low whistle as she approached it. A huge black head immediately stuck out over the stall door.

  “ Gen ti gason m ', there’s my boy…” Remington said, smiling as she stepped up next to the large horse’s head, reaching up to stroke his neck and patting him.

  The horse tossed his head, turning it to Remington and nuzzling her shirt.

  “I know what you’re looking for,” Remington said, grinning.

  She put her hand in her pocket and pulling out sugar cubes, holding one up in the palm of her hand. The horse immediately took the cube, snorting happily. Remington looked over at Wynter.

  “You want to come over here and pet him?” she asked solicitously.

  Wynter nodded, biting her lip nervously.

  “It’s okay,” Remington said softly, putting her hand out to Wynter.

  Wynter took her hand, allowing herself to be drawn closer to the big animal, her eyes widening. She reached up tentatively, stroking the side of the horse’s neck.

  “He’s so soft,” Wynter said, smiling.

  “That’s because he’s spoiled and gets bathed and brushed all the time,” Remington said, grinning.

  Satan responded to Wynter’s presence, as if he sensed she was new at this. He turned his head slightly, regarding her with dark eyes. He put his muzzle under her hand, and Wynter looked at Remington.

  “He wants you to stroke his muzzle,” Remington said, reaching over to show Wynter how to do just that.

  Wynter smiled as Remington showed her.

  “You can go all the way up to his forehead there,” Remington said, showing Wynter, “and he’ll probably love you forever if you use those nails of yours.”

  Wynter did what Remington suggested, and Satan immediately pressed his head closer to her.

  “Oh boy…” Remington said. “I think I’ve just lost my mount,” she said, grinning.

  “What?” Wynter asked, looking over at Remington.

  “I think he’s in love,” Remington said, smiling, her hazel eyes sparkling.

  “He likes me?” Wynter asked, smiling happily.

  “He does,” Remington said, nodding.

  “Is it okay to stand in front of him?” Wynter asked.

  “Yes, just don’t get too close to the stall door, if he moves his head too fast he’ll knock you down.”

  Wynter nodded, stepping over to stand in front of Satan’s head. The horse immediately lowered his head to her. Wynter reached up, using both hands and started scratching his face, from his muzzle up to his forehead. Remington watched, feeling her heart tug at the picture of Wynter standing with her horse.

  “You’re putting him to sleep…” Remington told Wynter softly.

  Wynter glanced around to see that Satan’s eyes were indeed closing. She also saw his lips flutter.

  “What does that mean?” she asked, nodding toward his lips.

  “It means he’s in heaven,” Remington said, smiling. “You have the touch.”

  “The touch?” Wynter asked softly.

  “With the horses… just like other animals, they can sense a person’s intent and their soul…” Remington said softly, staring into Wynter’s eyes. “And he recognizes yours as kind and gentle.”

  Wynter felt tears sting the backs of her eyes; no one had ever spoken to her in the way Remington just had. She nodded, unable to think of an appropriate response. She looked back over at Satan, putting her face against the warm muzzle.

  Remington saw Wynter’s reaction to what she’d said, and it drew her another step down the path to loving this woman deeply.

  A little while later, Remington went to saddle Satan, joking that if she continued to scratch his head, she’d put him into a coma. Wynter watched Remington in fascination as she hefted the saddle over Satan’s large back.

  “Is he really big for a horse?” Wynter asked. “I mean he seems huge to me, but I don’t have a basis for comparison, so…”

  Remington grinned, nodding. “Yeah, he’s eighteen hands high,” she said and saw Wynter’s blank look immediately. “You measure from the withers, which are here,” she said, putting her hand at the top of Satan’s back where his neck met the back. “Then it’s four inches per hand. So basically he’s six feet from here to the ground.”

  “Wow,” Wynter said, smiling.

  When Remington had saddled Satan and put on the halter, she opened the stall door and led him out of the stall. Wynter stood back, staring up at the large horse astounded. Remington continued to lead Satan out to the yard. Wynter watched as Remington stuck her feet in the stirrup and, holding onto the pommel on the saddle, pulled herself up onto Satan’s back.

  “Come here,” Remington told Wynter.

  Wynter walked over to stand next to Remington. As she did, Remington leaned down, extending her hand and arm to Wynter.

  “Put your hand up to my forearm and hold on,” Remington said.

  Wynter did what Remington told her and was shocked at how easily Remington lifted her off her feet and swung her up behind her on the saddle.

  “Wow,” Wynter said, wrapping her arms around Remington from behind. “I don’t know how I ever managed to forget how strong you are…”

  “Comes in handy,” Remington said, turning her head to smile back at Wynter. “So just keep ahold of me, okay?”

  “That won’t be a problem,” Wynter said, putting her head against Remington’s back happily.

  Remington took things slow at first, instructing Wynter on what each type of step was. They did walking, trotting, and cantering.

  “Now, are you ready for a run? Or do you want to go back?” Remington asked Wynter.

  Wynter squeezed Remington’s waist excitedly. “Let’s run,” she said, her eyes glowing in her excitement.

  “Okay, hold on tight,” Remington told her, “don’t loosen your grip on my jacket no matter what, okay?”

  “Okay,” Wynter said, grasping two handfuls of Remington’s leather jacket.

  “Now, lean forward with me,” Remington said, as she raised up in the stirrups.

  She clicked her tongue and Satan began walking then changed into a canter.

  “Hold on,” Remington told Wynter again. Then she gave Satan a gentle kick to his sides and said, “Ha!” and Wynter felt the shift of Satan’s muscles under her.

  Suddenly it was like they were flying, and Wynter could not believe the amazing feeling of it. She held on tight to Remington’s waist and jacket, and felt exhilaration sweep through her. When the finally slowed to a canter and then a walk again, Wynter found she was breathing heavily.

  “How you doing back there?” Remington asked, turning her head.

  “That was the most incredible feeling I’ve ever had!” Wynter said smiling widely.

  Remington smiled, inclining her head. “Yeah, there’s not a lot that beats that,” she said.

  Remington walked Satan over to an area lined with trees, where the snow didn’t completely cover the ground. She dismounted, and then held her arms up to help Wynter off Satan’s back. Remington tied the reins to a tree and gave Satan
a quick rub. She pulled the rolled blanked off the saddle that she’d placed there earlier, and then spread it on the ground for them to sit down.

  Wynter sat down, moving to snuggle into Remington’s arms immediately.

  “Are you cold?” Remington asked.

  “A little,” Wynter said.

  Remington immediately shrugged out of her jacket putting it around Wynter’s shoulders.

  “Remi, you’ll freeze,” Wynter said worriedly.

  “No, I won’t, I’m used to this kind of weather,” Remington said, grinning.

  Remington sat with her knees up, and pulled Wynter back into her arms and between her legs so Wynter could rest against her chest. Lying against Remington’s chest was fast becoming one of her very favorite things. She listened to Remington’s heartbeat, sliding her hand around Remington’s waist and inhaling her scent.

  Remington bent her head to rest against the top of Wynter’s head, closing her eyes at the feeling of Wynter’s hand around her waist. She marveled at how incredibly good she felt at that moment. It was far from what she would have expected with Wynter in the beginning. Now she couldn’t imagine anything else. She just hoped it would stay this way for a while.

  At one point, Wynter shifted so she could look up at Remington. Remington leaned down to kiss Wynter’s lips softly at first, and then with more heat. Wynter wound her arms up around Remington’s neck, pressing closer as they kissed. They were out in the middle of nowhere; there were no people on the grounds because the next day was Thanksgiving. It was just them.

  Remington’s hands slid up under the sweater Wynter wore, caressing her back, and pulling her closer to her. Their lips met over and over again, with increasing passion each time. Remington gathered her ever closer, her hands grasping at Wynter’s skin, breathing heavily. Wynter moaned against Remington’s lips, wanting her more than anything in the world at that moment.

  “Remi… please…” Wynter pleaded softly, her voice full of so much longing it caused Remington to groan.

  Then Remington was laying her back on the blanket and making love to her, and Wynter couldn’t feel anything but Remington’s hands on her and the incredible sensations running through her body. When they both came, shouting and crying out, their hands and their bodies were intertwined, even almost fully clothed.