Desire

by Jezebel Jorge

  Lizzie got so excited she stood and cheered louder than anyone else in the whole building.

  “That’s my baby,” she said, not noticing anything but Billy as her eyes followed him all the way back to the dressing room.

  “That was a good win for him,” Elena said after she had stopped laughing over Lizzie’s over enthusiasm. “Having him beat The Avenger that quick means they are getting ready to push him higher up on the card.”

  “I hope so, because I really don’t want him to have to go work anywhere else. I think the crowd really liked him.”

  “Just wait until your daddy comes out. That was nothing compared to the reaction Paul gets.”

  Her daddy was, of course, in the main event defending his United States Title against Johnny Valentine.

  “I’ve got to warn you, Paul’s match is going to be brutal compared to this one. Johnny is one bad dude in the ring and he scares me to death every time I’ve ever met him.”

  “In that case, maybe we should go wait for Billy in the car.”

  “Nope, you’re going to sit right here and watch the whole show. I promised Billy I’d keep an eye on you and I really want to see Paul beat Valentine once and for all. I’m sure Billy will want to watch it too.”

  “I just wish I could to talk Daddy into coming to our wedding.”

  “He’s working with Valentine again in Spartanburg Saturday night and you know he’s not going to miss out on that payoff or the chance to put on a show stealing match in front of a sellout crowd.”

  Elena handed Lizzie the tub of popcorn so she could cheer for Al Hurtz in the next match.

  “Now that is one gorgeous man,” she said pointing towards the ring.

  “You want me to get Billy to ask him to join us for dinner after the show?”

  “Oh, hell yeah,” she licked her lips, “I’m like to make him my dessert.”

  “Now Elena.”

  “What? You’re the one with the fiancé. I’m single and ready to mingle all over that man if I get half a chance.”

  Al Hurtz was the second best looking guy in the place. With his dark hair and brown eyes he did remind Lizzie of a shorter stockier version of Billy. Not that she had eyes for any man but her Billy. She just kept quiet and let Elena enjoy the match.

  “The good guys are 2 and 0, wonder if Nelson Royal will make it three in the next match,” Elena said after her eye candy disappeared behind the curtain.

  “If I get Billy to set you up with that guy, will you reconsider on coming to the wedding with me? I’d really like you to be my maid of honor.”

  “I’d love to go, but I can’t take off work on such short notice and New Orleans is too far for me to try to drive.”

  “I told you I’d buy you a plane ticket.”

  “I love you to death Lizzie, but I’m not getting on no airplane and you don’t need to be wasting your money on things like that.”

  “William’s paying for everything and New Orleans is my favorite place in the world outside of Charlotte. Really, it’s not a big deal for me to pay your way. We would have such a good time.”

  “I don’t know why you’re in such a rush to get married. Don’t you think this Saturday is pushing it to plan a wedding?”

  “Dinera has already taken care of all the arrangements and Saturday is perfect because William is in town wrestling at the Auditorium that night. If I can’t have my Daddy there, I want William to give me away.”

  “I’d stick out like a sore thumb at some fancy garden party in New Orleans. Imagine me, socializing with the likes of William and Dinera Fletcher.”

  “It’s DeFliehr, Dinera never took William’s name. She’s real particular about making sure everyone knows that she’s a DeFliehr. Apparently her family is some kind of royalty over in Europe.”

  “See, that’s why I wouldn’t be comfortable. I don’t deal well with snooty bitches.”

  “But, you like me.”

  “You’re not the least bit stuck up and you’re more of a brat than a bitch. Especially with the way you stick that lip out and bat your eyes like a little puppy when you’re trying to get your way.”

  “If you weren’t my best friend, I would highly resent that.”

  “See, you’re such a brat,” Elena laughed, “But I love you anyways.”

  “Then come to my wedding.”

  “What’s your daddy going to think of you running off to New Orleans to get married?” Elena shook her head. “I really think you would be better off getting married here so he can be there. The way he spoils you rotten, you know he would shell out a fortune to make you happy.”

  “You don’t understand,” Lizzie decided to fess up. “If I go ahead and marry Billy, Daddy will have no choice but to accept him. He won’t want me to leave Charlotte, so I know he’ll make sure Billy has a job here to keep me from moving away.”

  “I really don’t think Paul will see it that way.”

  “Well, I do and I’m going to marry Billy whether he likes it or not.”

  ***

  “You’re not supposed to cheer for the heels.”

  Lizzie looked away from the action in the ring to find her kid brother scolding her wrestling etiquette, or lack thereof. For some reason, she got a perverse enjoyment out of being the only person in the entire building cheering for Mr. Anderson’s attempt to rip off Johnny Weaver’s arm.

  “Does Carol Ann know you’re here on a school night?”

  “I’m done for the year. Honor students get to op out on taking exams,” he said sitting down beside her.

  “In that case, you’re coming to my wedding this weekend.”

  “You and Billy are getting married?” His eyes widened and a smile spread across his face making Paul Junior look so much like her Daddy it almost hurt to look at him.

  “Yes, at William and Dinera’s in New Orleans.”

  “I’d love to come, if mom will let me.” He helped himself to the last of their popcorn. “Is that why Dad sent me up here to tell y’all to wait for him after the show?”

  “He knows I’m here and he’s not mad?” Lizzie couldn’t believe it. Maybe Billy had gotten to talk some sense into him.

  “Yeah, he and Billy went outside to talk after his match.”

  “Whoa, look at that.” Lizzie pointed towards the ring where the Andersons had just made an illegal tag and were both pounding the crap out of Paul Jones.

  “When did you become such a fan?”

  “I babysit for Mr. Anderson sometimes. His little boy is so cute.”

  “I meant the wrestling.” He grabbed her hands to keep Lizzie from clapping for the wrong people. “You can’t cheer for them. What if someone sees Paul Bryson’s daughter rooting for the heels?”

  Now it was Elena’s turn to giggle, “Paul’s already teaching him to work.”

  “When did you become such a big fan?” Lizzie asked.

  “Since Dad started letting me drive, and,” his face reddened, “I kinda have a girlfriend here.”

  “Oh, really.” Now little brother had her full attention.

  “Her name’s Rita and she’s real cute.”

  “Rita, from Virginia. Blond hair, dumb as a box of rocks,” Elena asked.

  “I don’t think she’s dumb.”

  “She’s nineteen. I can’t believe your Dad hooked you up with a rat.”

  “She’s not a rat and Dad told her I was eighteen.”

  “And she believed him?” That left Lizzie dumbfounded.

  “Told you she wasn’t all that bright.” Elena leaned over her to speak to PJ, “You’d better make sure you use a condom every time.”

  “Elena, my fifteen year old brother is not having sex with a nineteen year old.” Lizzie turned to face him accusingly, “Are you?”

  “I’ll be sixteen next week.”

  “I do not believe this. Daddy freaks out over me dating Billy, but then and goes and sets my little brother up with a grown up groupie.”

  “She’s not all that grown up,” Ele
na said with a laugh. “Hell, the kid’s probably way smarter than she is.”

  “Just wait until Carol Ann finds out.”

  “Please don’t tell mom,” he begged.

  “What’s Daddy going to do for your birthday? Take you to a strip club and buy you a hooker?”

  “Don’t give him any ideas.”

  Chapter 24

  “Excellent match, Billy.”

  Paul had been standing so close to the curtain that Billy almost bumped right into him on his way back to the dressing room.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “May I please have a word with you outside?” He said all nice and polite while clapping Billy on the back and offering the towel from around his neck.

  “Sure thing. I need to have some words with you too.”

  Might as well go on and get it over with. Tell the man he was marrying his daughter Saturday afternoon at William Fletcher’s house in New Orleans.

  Paul’s attitude changed the minute they stepped outside. He shoved Billy up against the wall and nose to nose said, “You’ve got some fucking nerve bringing my daughter to a show.”

  “Actually, she brought me,” Billy said, standing his ground. “She met me at the airport yesterday.”

  “I suppose you fucked her last night,” he said still right in Billy’s face.

  “No, I made love to her.”

  Paul responded with a sucker punch to Billy’s gut. This time his blow didn’t back Billy down. He clenched his fists and went into a fighting stance, ready to defend himself if Paul came after him again.

  “Stay the fuck away from my daughter,” he snarled but didn’t try to throw another punch.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Billy sidestepped him just to be safe. “I didn’t want you to find out this way, but Lizzie and I are getting married Saturday.”

  “The hell you are,” he said with an icy assurance.

  “Go ahead and take a swing at me if you want.” Billy waited for the worst, and when Paul didn’t react he continued, “We love each other and there is nothing you can say or do that will change that.”

  “Yes, there is.” He motioned for Billy to follow him further away from the building.

  Billy let him walk away and sit down on a bench all the way down in the parking lot before he made a move.

  “Come here, I’m not going to hit you.”

  “It would mean a lot to Lizzie to have you come to the wedding,” Billy said, taking a seat beside him.

  “There’s not going to be any wedding,” he said flatly.

  “Yes, there is. Lizzie and I are going to get married whether you like it or not.”

  “BJ, please forgive me.” Paul looked up at the twinkling stars. “She made me swear I’d never tell a soul, but I can’t keep it quiet anymore.” He bowed his head, staring at the ground. “You can’t marry Lizzie because she’s your half-sister.”

  “My… Paul, that ain’t the least bit funny. Stop working me.”

  “It’s the truth, Billy, I’m your father.” His words came out in a shaky whisper. “I was so crazy about BJ and when she told me she was pregnant, I wanted to leave Lois. I really did, but she told me she didn’t want that. She wouldn’t hear of it. You know how highly she thought of Glenda. We kept our whole affair a secret. She made me promise not to ever tell anyone that you were mine.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  When he looked up, there were tears in his eyes. Paul Bryson, the biggest badass in the business was actually crying.

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you when you were growing up. I tried to give BJ money and she wouldn’t take a dime from me. Then, when she was killed,” he paused to wipe at his eyes. “It just about broke my heart. I wanted to keep you. I wanted to tell BJ’s parents the truth so bad, but I couldn’t. I was afraid Lois would take Lizzie away from me and she was just a baby. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing both of you.”

  “So you let them take me back to Texas, as dirt poor as they were, without offering to look out for me?”

  He could only nod.

  “You gave Lizzie the whole world while my grandparents were struggling to keep a roof over my head and food in my belly. I had to quit school when I was sixteen years old to take care of Granny. I had nothing, yet your precious Lizzie got it all.”

  “You had something that money can’t buy.” Billy jerked away when Paul tried to hug him. “You had love. Those people loved you something fierce. Your mama wanted you to be with them.”

  “My mama wouldn’t have wanted me wearing hand me downs from the church clothes closet. She wouldn’t have wanted me living like that. I never had any new toys or nice clothes. When I came up here to work, everything I had in this world fit in the trunk of my car. The car your spoiled rotten daughter wrecked.”

  “Who do you think got you hired up here?”

  “William.”

  “I was sitting in the office with Crockett when he called. When he said you were BJ’s son I was the one who begged them to bring you in. I was the one who took you under my wing. I was the one grooming you to take over my top spot with this company.”

  “You were the one who lied to both me and Lizzie. You were the one who let me sleep with my own sister.”

  “Now wait right there.” Paul finally worked up the nerve to look him in the eye. “I said you could take her to lunch. I wanted you to become friends with her. Never in a million years did I think she would have those kinds of feelings for you.”

  “You thought she was too good for me. Didn’t you?”

  “There’s no man in this world good enough for Lizzie. I love her more than anything and you damn well know that.”

  “What about me and your other bastard son? Don’t we count? How many other kids to you have out there? Lord knows you’ll screw any girl that will give it up for you.”

  “That’s no way to speak of your mother or of Carol Ann.”

  “I don’t know how Carol Ann stands you. She’s the one who could be doing a lot better than you.”

  “You don’t think I know that? Let me tell you something. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for that woman. She and Lizzie are my world.”

  That man had a lot of nerve bringing God into this while mess. Especially after considering all the messing around Billy had been doing with his own sister. It was all just too much to take in, especially with his jet lagged rattled brain. Not to mention his broken heart that was thundering so fast it felt like he might just keel over right there in the parking lot.

  Finally he looked up at Paul. “How am I supposed to go back in that building and tell the only woman that I’m ever going to love that we can’t be together because she’s my sister?”

  “I’ll handle it. I think it’s for the best that you go away for awhile.” Paul pulled an envelope out of his pants pocket. “Here’s the money to replace your car and make a fresh start. I’ve already made a call to Vic George and he wants you to come to Minnesota and work for him. It’s a great opportunity for you.”

  “I don’t want to leave Lizzie.”

  “Well, you sure as hell can’t marry your own sister and you know this is going to tear her up.”

  Billy felt like Paul had ripped out his heart and stomped it flat on the pavement. He didn’t even want to think about how Lizzie would react.

  “Give it some time. Then you can come back and I’m sure the two of you will get to be the best of friends.”

  “I don’t think I can be just friends with her.”

  “Then you had better leave. Go on to Minnesota and call her after you get settled in. I’ll make sure she’s okay.”

  “I know you will.” Billy stood up, not knowing where he was going to go other than knowing he couldn’t handle going back into that building, at least not yet.

  “Billy, I want to tell you something.” Paul kept on talking despite Billy not turning around to face him. “I’m the reason I don’t want Lizzie to be with a wrestle
r. It’s all my fault. I don’t want her being stuck with a man as low down as me.”

  For once Billy knew exactly what he meant. Lizzie deserved better than the both of them.

  When Paul put his arm around him, Billy hugged him back.

  “Please look after her,” Billy begged him. “She’s been through so much.”

  “I know about her losing the baby,” he said calmly. “Carol Ann told me what happened. That was what made me realize I had to come clean and tell you the truth.

  That one startled Billy to where he had to sit back down to keep his head from swimming.

  “I’d better go on in and get changed.”

  Billy hadn’t even realized it was getting close to Paul’s match time and he was still in his street clothes.

  “I’ll check in with you in a couple of months,” he said as he walked away.

  Gee, thanks Dad.

  Billy buried his face in that towel, crying for the baby they had lost and the love that could never be.

  “Billy.” He felt a hand on my knee. “Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not okay and I most likely will never be okay again.”

  It turned out to be Dess on the other end of that hand. William’s mistress, the last person he expected to find outside Dorton Arena when William wasn’t anywhere near Raleigh.

  “He told you, didn’t he?”

  “You knew?” One more surprise to add to the ongoing list of fucked-up-ness.

  “I figured it out the first time I saw you in the ring. You move just like him all quick and catlike and your punches are identical. Then there’s the hair and the smile. As much as I despise the man, he does have an amazing smile.”

  “I guess I should consider the working part a compliment.” Billy stood up to get away from her. “Nothing personal but I’m not much good for company right now.”

  “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?”

  Her green eyes glowed like a tigress stalking her prey. Billy might be heartbroken, but he wasn’t blind and there was no denying Odessa’s incredible beauty.