by Lucy Snow
Like anyone was watching. All the security for the event was out front. No one would come down this way looking.
We were safe.
I wasn’t sure how far we’d keep going - there was plenty of distance between us and the main hall already, but I let Steve pull me along, excited to be alone with him. All of a sudden I crashed into Steve’s back as he stopped. He looked back at me as I steadied myself. “You OK?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Where are we going?” I was starting to get a little antsy.
Steve looked around and picked the next door. “Right here,” he said. “Why are you whispering?”
I giggled, enjoying the moment and the drinks I had had. “I don’t know, why am I giggling?”
“You mean whispering.”
“Right, right.” I tapped him on the shoulder. “We were going somewhere?”
“Yes.” Steve opened the door in front of us and we went inside, leaving it open. It was a meeting room, with a long table in the center, and a bunch of chairs all around it. Off to the sides were longer, narrower tables for setting up equipment, food, and bags.
But we were here for something a little more exciting than the furniture. As soon as we were all the way in the room, Steve took my hand and twirled me around. I laughed as he pulled me in, my hands resting on his chest as we started kissing. The drinks took over and I hungrily kissed him, my hands snaking upward to reach around his neck. With these heels on Steve was only a bit taller than me, so I didn’t have to strain at all. I wasn’t used to it, but I could make do.
Steve’s hands moved all around my body over my dress. I had hoped it was just to the left of risqué, but Steve seemed to have liked it - I remember his face lighting up at the restaurant where we’d had our first drink a couple hours ago.
I don’t know how long we were there - when we really got into it, time slowed down, but eventually I realized that Steve wasn’t paying as much attention to kissing me as he was to feeling my breasts up over my dress. I didn’t mind so much; it had taken me a long time but I had gotten comfortable with my curves, and I liked when men appreciated them, but Steve was getting a little aggressive for the first time we’d fooled around.
Up until now all we had enjoyed was a kiss here and there at the end of our dates. I didn’t mind him escalating things, but this was going a little too fast for my taste. I pulled back for a second, unwrapping my arms and moving Steve’s hands very pointedly away from my breasts. Steve grinned at me. I didn’t know how to respond, so I just smiled a bit and shook my head as he pulled me in for another kiss.
Things went back to normal for a minute. We slowly turned around in place, still pretty much in the entrance to the room, which wasn’t doing anything for keeping us out of sight if anyone came down the hall.
But after a minute, things changed again, and this time Steve wasn’t going for my breasts under my dress; no, this time he was more interested in my legs and what was between them. I felt his hand snaking up my thigh, higher and higher, past the silky fabric of my dress and getting close to my panty-covered pussy.
I breathed out sharply, my eyes falling open as I pulled away from Steve’s kiss. “Steve,” I whispered, a little more forcefully this time, “it’s too soon, we shouldn’t…” I reached down and moved his hand lower, out from under my dress, feeling a little guilty, but not wanting to go any further.
This time Steve’s look wasn’t friendly, it wasn’t shy, there was no ‘aw shucks’ quality to it. His gaze was bordering on anger; I thought it had a tinge of entitlement to it. “No, Mackenzie, we should,” he said flatly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
He came back in for another kiss, and halfheartedly I let him, hoping he’d stop there, but Steve’s hand didn’t hesitate very long before coming back up toward what he wanted.
This time I shoved him away, taking a couple steps backward, still a little unsure of walking in heels this high, and I very nearly tripped, but instead collided with a table behind me. “Steve, no! I don’t want to go any further. Can we please go back to the party?” I didn’t really want to go back to the party, though, at least not with Steve. And definitely not before I could get to a bathroom and clean myself up.
Steve took a step toward me. “We’ll go back to the party, alright, Mackenzie, when we’re done here.” He took another step toward me, closing the gap between us, and I had no where to go with the table behind me. “But we’re not done here yet.”
“Don’t come any closer, Steve.” Whatever affection I had had for this guy I’d been on a few dates with was all gone, turned to ash in just a few moments. What had looked like an attractive and well-to-do guy had revealed himself as a monster.
“Or what, Mackenzie? What’ll you do?” He leaned forward and I could feel his hot breath on me. I closed my eyes, unable to move, not sure what I should do. Would anyone hear me if I screamed? Would anyone believe me?
“Please, Steve,” I pleaded, hoping to appeal to whatever goodness there might be inside him. “Please let’s just forget this ever happened and leave.”
“I’d like to do that, Mackenzie,” Steve’s voice got higher, like he was arguing with himself in a different voice. His eyes had lost their directness, like he wasn’t even present in the moment while attacking me. “But we’re not done here yet, so I ca-“
“You’re fucking done here, pal,” a gruff and hard voice called out from behind Steve. He turned around, surprised at the intrusion. At first Steve looked straight across at the man who had interrupted him, but when he came face to face with muscle instead of a head, Steve slowly turned his neck upward. “You just don’t know it yet.”
Hudson Asher stood in the doorway, barely able to fit through it without turning to the side first. My breath quickened even further. As horrible a situation as was I in, seeing Hudson in front of me like that made me weak in the knees.
Steve swallowed. “This doesn’t concern you, Asher.” He pointed at me over his shoulder with his thumb. “This is between me and Mackenzie.”
“I’m making it concern me, Steve,” Hudson spit out his name. “You’ve got about 5 seconds to leave the room and never speak to Mackenzie again, or I can’t promise anything after that.”
Steve barked out a laugh. “Or you’ll what?” He raised his arms, waving his hands in front of Hudson like he was pantomiming being scared. “The big old linebacker’s gonna stare at me funny? Is that what you’ll do? Try and tackle me and miss?” He laughed again. “Please. You won’t do shit. Run along, Asher.”
I couldn’t tell whether Steve’s demeanor was an act or unreasonable confidence or a sly game meant to try and throw Hudson off. Whatever it was, I was thrilled to see it not work.
Hudson took a step closer and if it were possible he stood up even straighter, towering over Steve. I couldn’t see Steve’s face from this angle, but I could feel his entire body hunch over a little bit, like his confidence was beginning to fail him.
“W-wait, Asher, let’s-let’s talk about this,” he stammered out. Steve put his hands up again, as if to ward Hudson off, and I saw Hudson relax a little bit, sure that the tension in this scene had started to defuse, even if just a tiny amount.
That’s when Steve struck, coiling his hands into fists while they were still out and stepping into Hudson’s midsection, hitting him straight on with a right and left, hard. I heard the sounds of Steve’s fists impacting on Hudson’s core, and I choked out “Hudson!” just as the first punch hit, covering my mouth at the last second to avoid screaming.
Hudson barely flinched. He leaned over a bit, like he was preparing for the punch, but the actual hits had little to no effect on him. Steve looked at him up shock, his confidence failing him in full, and then he gritted his teeth and tried to hit Hudson a few more times.
Hudson just let him. I watched in horror, and Hud just watched Steve do his thing. I wanted to reach out, I wanted to say something, but when Hudson and I locked eyes, he just cocked his head to the side and wi
nked at me. I gasped, shocked at this brazen display of strength.
If there was anything on earth that could make my crush on Hudson Asher grow even a little bit, this was it. I hated to admit it even to myself, but I was more than a little turned on.
Hudson let Steve tire himself out for a few more seconds before he almost casually raised his arm, sweeping Steve’s last punches out of the way. “My turn,” Hudson almost whispered, and reached back while stepping in, gut punching Steve right in the midsection.
From behind I saw Steve double over, and I heard the wind get knocked out of him. Hudson followed up with another punch, same spot, and Steve crumpled to the floor, moaning softly in a fetal position.
Hudson kicked him out of the way, then stepped over where Steve had been lying. Reaching out to me, Hudson put his arms around my shoulders. I felt the warmth of his touch and for the first time since Steve and I had come into this room I felt safe. “Are you alright, Mack?”
I threw my arms around him. “Yes, yes, Hudson, I’m alright, thank you so much.” I stuck my head into the space between his neck and right shoulder, breathing in his manly scent.
I heard Steve stirring below us, and Hudson looked down. “You should leave here while you still can, Steve.” Steve moaned something unintelligible, and Hud leaned down, his hand running down my arm to grab mine. “And don’t even think about even talking to Mackenzie again. Ever.” He said, finally.
In response, Steve started crawling toward the doorway. Hud laughed and locked eyes with me, asking whether I was OK without actually saying anything. I wiped the tears that had started forming from my eyes and nodded, taking a deep breath, and Hudson stepped over Steve again and led me out of the room.
We walked back toward the main hall for about thirty feet before I stopped in my tracks, Hudson still holding my hand. When our arms stretched out and he realized I wasn’t moving forward anymore. “Mack? Everything OK?”
I sighed, closing my eyes and holding them closed before opening them again. “I don’t want to go back in there, Hudson.”
He looked away, back toward the door to the main hall about a hundred feet away, before looking back at me. “Where do you want to go?”
I hesitated, and my eyes traveled to the nearest door. It was someone’s office. I stepped toward the door and tried it; it was unlocked. “Can we just sit in here for a few minutes, first?” I asked, hopefully.
In the low haze of the dimly lit corridor, I saw Hudson’s eyes flicker with understanding, and he squeezed my hand, walking toward the door. “Of course, Mack, we can sit here as long as you like.”
I nodded, again reaching up to wipe my face, and I went into the office after Hudson. As soon as we got inside, Hudson moved two chairs together and motioned me toward one. “Here, Mack, sit down.” Gratefully, I sat down, sighing and feeling the weight of the last few minutes start to break apart, so I could relax, or, at least, begin to relax.
Hudson took the other chair and sat down, our knees touching, looking at me intently, like he was trying to see through my eyes to the inside of my head. It was more than a little intimidating, but at the same time, more than a lot endearing too.
I took a moment to look around the office we’d planted ourselves in. It was a little drab and unexciting, posters and photos on the wall in between bookshelves and papers stacked up all over the place, but after what I had just gone through, drab and unexciting was just what I needed.
Except now I was alone in a small room with a gorgeous man that I had a huge crush on, who had just saved me from a date rapist.
Shit.
CHAPTER 04 - HUDSON
“Here, Mack, sit down.”
I couldn’t tell you why I had left the party to check on Mack. When I had seen her leave the main hall with Steve, I had thought that she looked a little out of sorts, that she wasn’t 100% comfortable with what was going on.
And Steve had just rubbed me the wrong way - there was something slimy about that guy just underneath the surface; I didn’t trust him, and I didn’t think he’d be good for Mack, despite barely knowing her. She wasn’t a player, but she was the daughter of John Mayfield, and that was enough for me to keep an eye out.
Plus, the way Steve had come off, I was gonna keep an eye out for any woman he talked to, just in case. I’d waited a few minutes then excused myself from Lance, Charlotte, Drake, and Lily, and gone out the same door Mack and Steve had taken.
I didn’t feel great going after her like that, but when I picked up their conversation and heard the struggle begin, I knew I had no choice but to intervene. It didn’t even occur to me to do anything different.
Which led us to now, with Mack and I sitting in this quiet and dimly lit office, our knees touching amidst all the clutter. I looked at Mack, trying to see if she was OK. Of course, if I asked she’d tell me she was just fine, but I kinda had a hunch she was about this close to breaking down.
I wasn’t gonna judge - I had long ago learned that my height and imposing size made the world and everyone in it appear differently to me, and people had been giving me wide latitude since I was 10 on account of what I could do on the football field.
So I was sure that Mack’s take on things would be different. I leaned back and watched her as she composed herself.
She was gorgeous. Curves galore, a body that just wouldn’t quit. Her dress and jewelry were exquisite. Everything about her screamed money.
And I knew how rich she was. I knew her father was a billionaire. She could be the epitome of a spoiled rich girl. When I had met her for the first time, years ago when I joined the Patriots as a rookie, spoiled rich girl was the first thing that came to mind.
It had taken a little while to shake that opinion, luckily I had other things on my mind at the time, like, you know, playing professional football and everything that came with it.
Mackenzie had attended various Patriots functions with her parents and each time I had thought she looked more and more beautiful. John Mayfield hadn’t talked much about her, so I was surprised as hell to find out a few years ago that she had graduated from some really great schools and now was coming to work in the front office of the Patriots.
That was years ago, and since then I had realized that Mack was smart and capable in addition to being drop dead gorgeous.
“You OK?” She hadn’t said anything in a while; I could tell she was still a little woozy from the alcohol.
“The way he was punching you…” Mack started before dropping off. “Are you OK?” She asked, turning it around to me.
I leaned back, looking down at my stomach. “Oh yeah, I’m fine, barely felt it. Everyone likes to think they’ve got a good set of punches in them, but most of them aren’t punching a professional linebacker when they pretend.”
Mack smiled, and I liked seeing it. It was good that she was able to find humor again so quickly. “But you, Mack, how are you?”
“I’m alright,” she said, looking down and smoothing out her dress. “I just got a little carried away there for a second…”
I could feel my face harden. “No, Mack, don’t do that to yourself. You did nothing wrong, this wasn’t your fault. Steve was an asshole, but nothing that happened was because of you.”
The way she looked at me with relief made the gears in my stomach turn. I wanted to reach out and take her into my arms, but I knew that even though we were alone, I couldn’t do that.
“Thank you for saying that, Hudson.” She looked around the room as if noticing it for the first time. “We sure picked an interesting room to hang out in.”
“Oh yeah, Brad, uh, Lowry,” I said, reading off the name tag on the desk, “probably won’t mind that we’re hiding in his office.”
