Out of Her Dreams

by Fran Lee

  That was okay by him. If she resisted him, he would enjoy it even more. But then he realized that in six months, she would be able to simply walk out of his life forever and he would have absolutely no hold over her.

  Well, like she’d just said, six months was a long time. A lot of things could happen in six months. “I’ll have it put into writing. That way, neither of us can back out.”

  “I’d prefer a gentleman’s agreement. Can’t we simply shake hands?”

  “A gentleman’s agreement won’t work if one of the agreeing parties is not a gentleman.”

  “You have a point there.” Her soft sigh made him fight the smile that wanted to spread over his face. “I suppose we should try to get some sleep. You have a big day ahead of you and I have my own arrangements to make. I hope that you realize you are completely turning my life upside down.”

  “Then we’re even.” Hadn’t she already done that to his life?

  He was sleeping soundly, his face pressed against her throat, with his heavy arm draped across her body. She sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position, not wanting to wake him. She had lain awake for the past hour, just gazing at him as he slept. It was impossible to believe that she had actually dreamed this face, dreamed this body, years before she had ever known about him. She had dreamed the sensual, delicious way he made love to her. She had written about it in her novels. She swallowed hard. He was too gorgeous to be real. If she blinked, he might fade away into her dream.

  She remembered her mother’s voice, so long ago, when she had smiled at her young daughter and had said softly, “Sometimes dreams are nothing more than other spirits trying to touch ours.”

  She closed her eyes and tried to picture him in her dreams. It was definitely him. Something from this man had reached out to her from across the miles and years and had touched her dreams. She could believe him capable of that kind of will. Then she drew a deep breath and willed herself to sleep. She was going to be a wreck in the morning.

  * * * * *

  “Yeah, we all saw you on TV last night!” Phyllis’ voice seemed so very far away. Sam inhaled deeply and licked her lips.

  “It was all part of the hype. The fans ate it up.” Sam was really getting good at fibbing.

  “Well, they weren’t the only ones, girl. If that magnificent hunk kissed me like that, I don’t think I would have survived. What on earth was all that? Were you part of the act? The fans who saw you are absolutely raving about how brave you were, taking on that giant to save your lover. Book sales have gone through the roof again. We’re ordering a reprint and the book’s only been out for a month!”

  Sam cleared her throat and interrupted her business manager. “Look, Phyllis, I didn’t call to ask if you watched TV last night. I called to tell you that I won’t be back to Cleveland after ninety days. It might even be more like six months.”

  “What? What the hell do you expect me to do here, Sam? Book six is scheduled for release in five months. I sure as hell hope you’re writing up a storm, on something totally new here because if you aren’t I will have my ass in a wringer.”

  Sam winced at the woman’s tone. “Look, Phyl, if I don’t stay, you may damn well end up losing one hell of a lot more than just your ass. Like you said, he won’t settle for less.” There was no sound from the other end of the line. “You still there?”

  “My God, Sam. I had no idea he would go so far.”

  “Well, he has. So don’t count on seeing me for the next several months, unless it’s on TV.”

  She hung up and chewed the corner of her lip. Okay, that wasn’t as bad as she’d expected. Now all she had to do was go slowly and gently and not blow it. If she messed up this deal, she would have to staple a sign on her forehead that read, “I am a complete washout”. And maybe walk around in sackcloth and ashes for a few years.

  She let her mind wander to the last ten hours of her life and she blushed hotly as she recalled exactly how wicked and wanton she had been. She had let herself be used shamelessly and, of course, she had done a bit of shameless using herself. A wicked smile curved her lips. And she had another few months of shameless, wanton activity ahead. She could so handle that.

  * * * * *

  Joe and the guys stepped out of the limo in the underground entrance of the arena to find the place thronged with fans. They moved shoulder-to-shoulder in a phalanx as Sam stepped out behind them and then David. Sam hurried along behind them as they made a path to the arena entrance. David followed more slowly, grinning and signing autographs and shirts, posing for candids with some of the fans who had brought cameras.

  They were escorted into the pre-show party area where the backstage visitors were circulating, talking to the divas and the wrestlers. Greg was beside himself when Wolfman came up to him and clamped his huge hand on his thin shoulder and said, “I hear you wanted my autograph, boy. How about we give you something better than a signature on a piece of paper?”

  “You shittin’ me? Wow. Sure!” Greg followed the giant wrestler instantly.

  An entire battalion of cameramen was shooting as the huge wrestler grabbed one of the microphones and asked Greg what his name was. Then Sam and the others watched as the Wolfman introduced Greg as his “practice partner” and demonstrated a variety of holds, locks and overhead slams-without dropping him-as the TV cameras caught it all. Greg was red and excited when it was all over but when the cameraman handed him the video they had just made of him for his family and friends, he nearly fainted. “You mean this is mine?”

  Wolfman posed for a few shots and made sure that Greg and the guys were given copies. Joe was shaking his head and saying how he envied Greg when the tall blonde diva tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Hey cutie, you wanna be my practice partner?”

  Joe flushed and stuttered but allowed the statuesque blonde to cajole him into posing for some publicity photos with her and the other divas. He especially enjoyed the one where all five divas were holding him to the mat with five spike-heeled shoes on his back, while he was pretending to scream in pain. But when all five of them grabbed him and picked him up over their heads, he was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. The other boys were invited to do similar things and by the time David had come into the room, they were all having a wild time. Sam was watching them, her eyes alight and a smile on her face.

  “Okay, Chance, you wanna give us a few publicity shots with the lovely lady there?” one of the cameramen asked quickly.

  “No photos, fellas. I think you got enough last night, if I’m not mistaken,” he grinned, shaking his head.

  “Aw, come on, Chance. Just a couple of poses.”

  “Okay, just a minute.” He looked around until he found the boys and called them all over. He explained what he wanted them to do and then he turned to the photographers. “We’re ready.”

  All five of the guys jumped on David, trying to drag him to the floor, and the photographers were snapping away, getting shots that had Sam laughing and pointing at them as Joe slid down one leg and tried to drag his foot out from under him. He had two of them in headlocks, one under each arm, and he was still holding himself upright despite their best efforts. Then the small dark haired diva jumped on Joe’s back and was pretending to bite his neck and Sam shouted out advice as he tried to dislodge her. Sam was laughing so hard, she could barely stand up, doubling over and guffawing as the young man everyone called Mouse jumped on the tall diva and got her in a headlock. The diva flipped him over her shoulder and pinned him on the floor, sitting on him and tickling him until he shouted for mercy.

  The whole place was in an uproar for the next twenty minutes or so, until David allowed the guys to pin him and he shouted to Sam for help. She managed to gather her wits enough to drag one boy off, then another, until David lay there on the mat, his face dripping perspiration and his arm shading his eyes. He didn’t move and she frowned.

  “Are you hurt or just faking it?” she asked, standing over him.

  She saw the
flash of movement but was helpless to stop herself from tumbling headfirst as he reached out and tripped her. But she didn’t hit the floor. He was amazingly fast as he caught her and rolled her on top of his body, coming to rest plastered to him as the cameras clicked madly.

  She was laughing breathlessly when he caught the back of her neck and pulled her down to devour her lips, his tongue driving into her mouth with such hunger and ferocity, she couldn’t help but respond for a breathless moment. He tasted so damn good, felt so damn good, she lost track of everything but his kiss, his body, the way his hands moved over her so deliciously, scattering her thoughts and shredding her resistance to the winds.

  Wolf whistles filled the room and after she realized what was happening and struggled to free herself, he allowed her to scramble to her feet and then, with one amazingly fluid movement, he had flipped up to his feet and was facing her as she stood there, breathing raggedly and ready to smack him upside the head.

  “I wouldn’t, if I was you,” he breathed softly, his eyes aglow with laughter and something else.

  “What will you do, beat me up in front of everyone?” she whispered, her eyes sparkling angrily.

  “No but a good spanking might settle that temper of yours. It was all in fun. You’re the only one taking it wrong.” His eyes were dark and unreadable.

  She swallowed and drew a deep breath. “I suppose I just can’t handle having you make a spectacle of me for the cameras. If you want to kiss me, David, do it in private.”

  “That’s easier said than done. You’re very kissable.”

  She glared at him, trying to remain angry, but her sense of humor won and she grinned slowly. “I can see I’m going to have to learn to deal with being notorious.”

  “If I can do it, you can. The first lesson in dealing with fame is to never be afraid to be bad. Being bad gets you places, Sam. And you are the main squeeze of the baddest boy in wrestling, so deal with it.” Hearing him say it aloud was enough to make her blush hotly, and several others close to them heard it as well. She flashed him a threatening glare and he just grinned broadly. “Promises, Sam?”

  “I’ll deal with you later, Chance Braza.” Her use of his ring name made him laugh and she said softly, “And you can take that as a threat.”

  * * * * *

  They were seated at ringside and Sam had the feeling that every pair of eyes in the arena was on her. The cameramen panned her often and her picture appeared on the huge overhead screen too much for her comfort as she tried to concentrate on the action on the mat. The guys were enjoying seeing their own faces on the huge TV and they grinned and made the victory sign for the folks at home. Joe was grinning and she knew why. One of the younger divas had given him her phone number and her e-mail address. He was riding the top of the waves tonight.

  The warm-up matches between the middleweights and the tag teams had the crowd screaming and yelling. And when the divas came out, Joe was cheering his pretty little brunette as she took on one of the bigger blondes. The girl was good. When she won, she pulled off her see-through tank top to reveal a very sexy lace bustier and she tossed the tank to Joe, who caught it and blushed hotly as she gave him a broad wink and a come-hither smile that would have melted most older men. He pumped his fists in the air and shouted, “Way to go, Heather!”

  Wolfman and the sumo guy faced off for a cage match and Greg was on his feet yelling encouragement at his hero, even though Wolfman lost that one when the sumo knocked him out with a chair that someone slipped under the cage bars to him.

  Then a ten-man free-for-all was announced and Sam watched as her very own bad boy climbed into the ring to join the melee. There were no rules. If you got thrown out of the ring, it was over. The last man standing in the ring won. She knew that David would most likely get tossed out because it was part of the program. It made the fans roar when the “heels” dumped one of the popular “faces”. But it was obvious from the start of the free-for-all that David was not going to let himself get tossed easily. The heel who was supposed to toss him ended up flying over the ropes and landing right in front of her and Sam gasped and did what came naturally to her. She helped him to his feet and asked him if he was okay.

  The wrestler shook his head to clear it, glared up at his nemesis and then shouted, “Braza. This your woman?” in a deep, heavily accented voice.

  David had just heaved another man over the ropes and he turned to glare at the tall blond man. The man reached out and dragged Sam against his sweat-sheathed body as she shoved at him in vain. It was like trying to get free of a slick vise grip.

  “You have a death wish or something?” she gasped as the man pulled her close and then she couldn’t say a thing-because he had cut off her protest with a wet French kiss that made it nearly impossible to breathe. She kicked his ankles and slugged his shoulders but he was like a frigging brick.

  David was livid that Van Burghe had suddenly decided to use Sam as a tool to get him out of the ring, but something truly snapped when the tall, buff wrestler from Germany also took the liberty of kissing her. He jumped onto the ropes and the crowd went nuts, knowing what was coming next.

  “Take your hands off her, Van Burghe!” his voice boomed across the seats at ringside, much to the delight of the screaming audience.

  Sam couldn’t breathe, he was holding her so tightly, so she did the only thing she could think of. Her knee came up hard and fast and the tall German gave a grunt of pain, loosening his hold on her. Even his cup couldn’t prevent that from hurting, she was sure.

  “You little bitch,” he muttered foully as she struggled to get away from him.

  “Let me go, dammit,” she gasped, as he reasserted his grip on her and she felt as if he were crushing her. Boy, he was sure pissed now.

  Joe and the others were on their feet, which distracted the wrestler for a moment. He seemed startled by the five young men who were yelling at him to turn her loose. It gave her just a split second to grab his little finger and peel it back as hard as she could, causing him to loosen his grip on her again.

  And then the man was suddenly gone.

  She was released so fast, she had to grab Greg around the neck to keep from falling on her face. She whirled around to see the hapless German on the floor of the area outside the ring, struggling to rise. The figure looming over him as he managed to stagger to his feet was not in a good mood. A fist to the stomach made the man grunt and double over and then he was on the floor again when David hit him in the chest with his massive shoulder and the man went flying backward, stunned.

  He held up both hands in surrender as David stepped toward him again. “Hey, man! It was just a joke! I’m sorry.”

  “You’d damn well better be.” David’s voice was a rasp of fury. He returned to Sam and his hand came up to gently touch her cheek. “He hurt you?”

  She swallowed hard. Unable to speak, she shook her head. He growled and glanced at the guys. “Get her out of here, will you? The show’s over for her.”

  The guys didn’t question him. They were too shocked to protest having to leave the show. They escorted her out of the arena to the shouts and cheers of the crowd. Once outside they made their way to the backstage area, where security was waiting for them. They remained there, every now and then asking Sam if she was okay. She nodded each time but inside, she was a trembling wad of nerves. The way she had been treated by the big German wrestler had been bad enough but when she had seen the violent reaction from David, it had been even more frightening than the German’s assault.

  He had been ready and willing to completely destroy the man, over nothing more than a rather insulting stolen kiss. She drew a deep breath and smiled up at the security man who had brought her a hot cup of coffee.

  “Thanks.” Her grateful smile was only momentary.

  And then the event was over and the performers were coming out of their dressing rooms, most of them grinning and waving at the boys. The young diva who had tossed her tank top to Joe stopped by and flirted
a little more before she left with the taller blonde she had defeated earlier in the evening. Wolfman came over to say goodbye to the guys and he nodded briefly to Sam, as if he didn’t want to end up with Chance Braza taking his head off. She smiled and told him it was nice to have met him.

  He glanced at her and grinned. “I hear you’ll be touring with us. So it ain’t exactly goodbye, is it?”

  It was the first time the guys had heard about her continuing on with David and they all teased her. “So, you ain’t got a ‘thing’ with Chance Braza, huh?” Joe grinned at her and pretended to punch her arm gently.

  She smiled nervously and shook her head. “I think it’s great publicity for the books to be seen with him and vice versa.”

  “Sure. I believe that,” Greg laughed.

  Mouse grinned at her and added a jibe. “For a guy who ain’t nuts about you, he sure didn’t handle the bit with Van Burghe and you kissing real well.”

  She flushed warmly and said, “I wasn’t kissing him. He grabbed me. He was the one doing the kissing. And it wasn’t all that great, either, so don’t bother to ask.”

  And then David was there, looking rather grim and uncommunicative. No one talked to him as he caught hold of her elbow and herded her out to the limo. They all sort of avoided his dark glare. Even Joe and the guys didn’t attempt to talk while in his presence. She remained calm as the driver dropped the guys off at their motel, but after they arrived at the Embassy Suites, Sam couldn’t stand the silent treatment any longer and she hung back. David stopped and glanced at her questioningly.

  “If you are going to be like a bear with a sore paw, I think I’ll stay down here and get myself a drink.”

  He seemed to grow inches taller as he drew in a deep breath and then he turned toward the lounge. “I’ll have a drink too.”