Deep in You (Phoenix #1)

by David S. Scott

  “If we aren’t going to the hospital, looks like you’ll be staying with me for a little while.”

  “No need. We can call a cab.”

  “Do you have a roommate?”

  She started to shake her head, but froze, a look of pain and fear on her face. “No. Well, yes. I do, but she’s not… um… she’s not there right now.”

  “Then you should stay. I need to make sure you’re okay. Hell, I could use the company. You can keep an eye on me, too.”

  “You seem fine.”

  “I probably am. If I am right and it was the martini, I only had a sip. Still, my head isn’t quite right, so better safe than sorry.”

  She lowered her gaze. “Okay.”

  “We could try drinking water to flush our systems, but honestly, it probably just has to run its course.” I wanted to believe that the water would help, but I really wasn’t sure. It at least sounded good.

  She didn’t say anything, so I took that as agreement and helped her up. “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’ll get you some water and see if I can find some clean clothes that might fit you.”

  “What’s wrong with my clothes?” she asked, still dazed. “I don’t think I can drink anything.”

  “If you can’t, you can’t. This room smells like vomit. Let’s go out there.”

  I assisted her into the living room and helped her get settled on the couch. I gathered the empty bottle of wine and glasses from the coffee table and threw them in the trash, just in case.

  From the fridge I grabbed a couple of bottles of Smart Water, the only kind I ever bought. Maybe the electrolytes it advertised would help flush the shit from our systems. Reluctant at first, Lily took a sip. She didn’t bring it back up right away. I took that as a good sign.

  “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to get some clean clothes. I’ll see what I can find for you, too, if you’d like.” I climbed the stairs, ignoring the protests from my ankle. I grabbed a pair of sweat pants out of my dresser and tugged them on, commando. For Lily, I found a small T-shirt and a pair of shorts I hadn’t worn since high school. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. As an afterthought, I added the toothbrush and toothpaste to the pile of stuff.

  Lily hadn’t moved. She stared glassy-eyed at the doors to my private gym, chin resting on knees pressed to her chest. I passed her the items I’d brought down for her.

  “Closest I could come up with that might fit.”

  “Thank you,” she said sullenly, without looking at me.

  “You’ll want to put those on.”

  “Okay.” She still didn’t move.

  “Sam will be here any minute.”

  That did it. She stiffened in surprise, but straightened up to look at me. “Who?”

  “My coach. Get dressed.”

  She jerked the shirt over her head. “You called him?”

  “Of course.”

  “So much for needing me to keep an eye on you.”

  I sighed and grabbed the nearest water bottle. “Look. We can trust him. More importantly for me, though, is that he’ll test us. If word gets out that I took drugs, intentionally or not, I could be ruined. I need to know what we’re dealing with.”

  On the plus side, my head was clearing by the moment. I actually felt almost normal.

  “Xander, I changed my mind. Maybe we should go to the hospital.”

  “Why? I thought we agreed that was a bad idea.”

  “I want to get tested.”

  “I told you Sam will test us. We’ll have the results back just as fast and a lot more discreetly.”

  She cocked her head. “Why don’t you want me to see a doctor? I don’t know this Sam. How can I trust him to be honest? How can I know he isn’t covering something up?”

  I crossed my arms, quiet fury building up inside. The tension around us was palpable. Had anyone else walked in right then, they would have been able to feel the force of my rage. “Explain what you’re implying, exactly. What would Sam not be honest about?”

  “How did I not see it earlier? You said, ‘let’s assume for the sake of argument that it’s the martini,’ and I accepted that. But why should I accept it? It makes just as much sense for it to have been the wine. Plus, you’ve been encouraging me to not go to the hospital this entire time. You want your friend to clean up your mess. Admit it!”

  “I’m not going to admit it, because there is nothing to admit. That bottle was sealed. This is asinine.” My hands clenched into fists. How dare she?

  “I don’t know you any more than I knew that guy. Unlike you–a self-absorbed jock who just wanted to get into my pants–he was at least a gentleman.”

  “So the theory you’ve decided to run with involves me bringing you into my home, then drugging you to get into your pants… even though you’d already chosen to come here. I hadn’t realized that your goal when we left the club was to come over to play Monopoly!” I spat the last word, my temper spiking. I wanted to get away from her. Now that she’d officially accused me, Sam would have my balls if I kept talking to her about this. I would need to get my lawyer over here, but for now I just wanted space.

  “My plans were irrelevant, since I was drugged.” She jabbed her finger in my chest. “You took advantage of me!”

  I reared back like she’d slapped me. “What the actual fuck, Lily? I told you before, I had nothing to do with this. I had no idea you were drugged, so how would I have known I was taking advantage?”

  I raked both my hands through my hair, trying to calm my rage. My attempts proved useless, however. I had to get away from her.

  I stormed into my gym and slammed the doors behind me. I knew I should have been keeping an eye on her, but she certainly argued like she was lucid enough. I no longer gave a shit whether Sam tested her or not. If she stayed, I’d get her tested. If not, she was on her own.

  She had some balls accusing me of taking advantage of her. She’d agreed to come here on her own; I hadn’t forced her. If she hadn’t been fully in control, how could I be blamed? I’d drunk from the same glass.

  I approached the pommel horse and lovingly stroked the leather, taking in the smell, letting the familiar setting comfort me and calm my frazzled nerves. I’d always felt at peace in the wide open space beneath the high ceilings of my home gym. It had anything I could ever need.

  Who was I kidding? She was wrong to accuse me of taking advantage, but it didn’t mean I hadn’t done so. That didn’t sit well with me. I had banged a woman who had been literally unable to say no. There was no way I could justify this away. Bottom line: the fact that there had been no intent to force myself upon her would not stand up in court.

  I was so screwed.

  I needed to work off some steam, so I sat down to stretch.

  The opening of the door signaled Lily’s arrival. “The fuck do you want?” I snapped. “You aren’t welcome in here.”

  “You said last night that you’d show me your gym.”

  “Yeah, well, that was before you accused me of raping you. Get the fuck out.”

  Lily stared at her bare feet, which traced patterns in my padded floor. “I’m sorry I said those things.”

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry I said all of that. I know it had to have been the martini at the bar. I’m freaked out and I felt bad for lashing out, so I came–”

  “You’re more than welcome to leave whenever you’d like,” I interrupted. “You didn’t have to stay out there.”

  “–to find you. But isn’t your coach coming to test us?”

  “He’s coming over. He’ll also test you if that’s what you want. Tell me something, Lily. Would you have rather been taken home by the asshole that drugged you?”

  The doorbell rang before she could answer. “I’ll be right back. Don’t touch anything,” I called over my shoulder as I walked away.

  The doorbell rang a second time. “Keep your damn shirt on, Sam.”

  I opened the door to find him carrying a black sports bag, a disgruntl
ed look on his face.

  “The fuck you doing texting me this early on a Saturday? Do you realize that my hair was completely black when we met? Every single one of these gray hairs is your fault. What the hell do you need drug testing gear for? What did you do? You know better.”

  I chuckled. “Get in here, asshole.”

  “I see nothing funny about whatever your situation is right now.”

  I shut the door behind him. “Okay, here’s the story. I met a girl–”

  “I don’t like this story already.”

  “Shut up. I met a girl at the club last night, saved her from some boring ass. Only it turns out the boring ass wasn’t quite so… well, he drugged her. And me, as collateral damage. I need to know what it is.”

  Sam eyed me, his pale eyes sharp. “I’ve seen you look worse. But let’s see what the tests say before I go making any mystery diagnoses. How’d he get you, too?”

  “Drank from her glass.”

  “You drank from her–what the hell, man? You know how irresponsible that was. You never drink out of strange glasses when you’re at a God damned night club! Hell, it’s best to not drink anything there unless it’s from a sealed bottle.”

  “You are aware we don’t live in Mexico, right? That stuff about ‘don’t drink the water unless it’s bottled’ doesn’t apply in Orlando.”

  “It does for you! When are you going to learn that as an athlete, you need to always be two steps ahead of the game? Don’t take risks. Don’t gamble with your career. All you need is a competitor or someone that doesn’t like you to slip you something before a qualifier. I am just blown away by how stupid that was!”

  “Calm down, Sam. Mind your blood pressure. I actually feel much better than I did; almost normal. Lily isn’t, but she is improving.”

  “Fine. You know the drill.” He handed me a cup. “Cap it nice and tight. Don’t want that shit leaking on me.”

  “First, come meet her. Keep an eye on her for me while I’m in the can.” I dropped my voice. “She’s acting crazy. I’m hoping it’s the drugs and wears off soon.” I wanted to tell him what she had accused me of, but I knew he would flip out. It may still be necessary to involve him, but I hoped her apology meant she was becoming more rational. If so, I’d get her tested and send her home. I’d speak to my lawyer on Monday about whether he thought I needed to get her to sign anything.

  “Crazy, how?”

  So much for that. “Nothing, man. Just talking nonsense. Let’s get this over with. The sooner I get her out of here, the better.”

  Sam and I walked into the gym. Lily had sunk to the floor next to the pommel horse but was awake and alert.

  I dropped to my knees in front of her, taking in her vacant stare. “I need you to get up, okay? You need to take the drug test. This is Sam, my coach. He has connections at the lab, so this will all be very discreet. He’s going to explain what you need to do, okay?” I looked up. “Sam, this is Lily.”

  I left the room while Sam talked to her, their voices diminishing and disappearing as I reached the bathroom. Water covered the tub, floors, countertops, walls, everything. We had made a huge mess. Not the way I would have pictured us showering together. I quickly filled the cup and capped it, leaving the sticker that was supposed to contain the depositor’s name and personal information blank. Sam would deal with that however he chose.

  This whole thing sucked. This was not how I’d envisioned spending my Saturday. All I’d wanted when I met Lily was a quick hookup, some hot sex, and then we’d part amicably and never see each other again. Instead, I ended up dragged into some deep shit involving felonies and God only knew what else.

  I grabbed a towel and dragged it across the floor, mopping up most of the mess. The room needed to be completely cleaned, but I’d deal with it another time. I tossed the towel in the hamper and went to go find the other two.

  Sam was right. What I did was stupid, and I could only hope that I didn’t end up paying for my idiocy with my career.

  I really hated when Sam was right. If I admitted it, he’d never let me live it down.

  Chapter Five

  “I’ll call you as soon as I know anything. The lab’s closed today, but my buddy says he’ll open up and run a couple of stat tests. I told him it was important. Do you two have any plans?”

  “Well, actually, Sam,” I said. “I–”

  “That was a rhetorical question, Xander. You two are to stay here until I get the toxicology reports back. Got it?” He raised his eyebrows. “Once we know what we’re dealing with, we’ll decide what steps to take next.”

  I nodded. “Thanks, Sam.”

  “You’d better. I’m pulling a lot of strings to get this taken care of today. Pleasure meeting you, Lily.” Sam inclined his head to her, then headed out.

  “I should be going, too,” said Lily.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea. You heard the man. You should stay until we hear back.” My words didn’t match my convictions. I wanted her to go. To hell with what Sam thought. The sight of her was an annoyance I wanted removed. I didn’t sign on for any of this. I had just wanted to fuck her and be done with it. I needed her to leave, but knew she had to stay. I couldn’t have her getting into trouble or talking to people before I knew what we were dealing with.

  I again considered contacting my lawyer, but I trusted Sam. He’d contact him if he felt it was necessary. Dragging in lawyers only made you look like you had something to hide.

  “What happened to your ankle?” The question came out of nowhere, surprising me.

  “What?”

  “Your ankle is wrapped. I noticed this morning.”

  “I wrap both when I work out.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  I quirked my eyebrow at her. “Bad landing before I left for the club last night. Just a strained muscle, nothing serious.”

  She nodded. I was surprised that she had noticed. Neither of us had been very observant yesterday, and today there were plenty of distractions.

  “What’s going to happen next, Xander?”

  “Well, Sam will call us back and tell us what it was. Then we’ll research what to do about it. Don’t worry.”

  “If I stay, will you show me one of your routines? I could use the distraction.”

  What? No. I’m not a trained monkey performing tricks.

  “We’ll see,” I answered.

  Perhaps it would be a fun diversion to give her a private show.

  Wait. What the hell was I thinking? I was not an adolescent, needing to show off to some girl in hopes she’d go out with me. I was Xander fucking Phoenix. I needed to get my shit together. If I gave her what she wanted, it would be because it was a diversion, like she’d said. Nothing more.

  We sat down together on the couch. I turned to face her and brought my right leg up between us. Slowly I unwrapped the bandage around my ankle.

  The skin underneath displayed a nasty green bruise. Gingerly I rotated my foot. It wasn’t too bad; I’d done worse to myself. The appearance was the worst of it. A glance at Lily found her staring at me with a look of horror on her face.

  “Hey…” My words forced Lily to look me in the eyes. I smiled reassuringly at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “That looks horrible, Xander.”

  “Just a bruise. It doesn’t even hurt that much. I’ve had worse.”

  She swallowed hard and nodded a little, then tucked her feet beneath her. I rewrapped my ankle and watched her for a bit.

  “So you have me at a bit of a loss, Lily Campbell. I know your name. I know you have stunning brown eyes and, based on the condition of my back, are quite a tiger in bed. I know you like fruity martinis and you don’t like being bored by losers in clubs. I think that’s about it. You know quite a bit more about me.”

  “You also know that I recently broke up with my ex.”

  I sighed. “Yes, I suppose I do remember you saying that.”

  “Why’d you react that way? Would you rather we
were still together?”

  To be honest, I didn’t give a shit who she was with. I knew that wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear, though.

  “No,” I said. “I think my feelings on that are quite clear. I was just hoping you’d tell me a little more about yourself. What makes you tick?”

  She stared at me, fear written all over her face. I was becoming more confused by the moment.

  “I’m a journalist,” she whispered, turning away from me. She twisted her hands nervously in her lap, and her complexion turned ashen.

  My brow furrowed. Had she written something bad about me in the past? Why did she look so freaked out? “Are you okay? Are you going to be sick?”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. I placed my hand over hers. I couldn’t help myself. “You ashamed of being a journalist?”

  “Not normally, no.”

  “But now…?”

  “I’m a journalist for CaS.”

  There it was. The reason for her shame and hesitation all made sense now. Celebrities and Sinners. A tabloid.

  Shit! She worked for a tabloid, and here we were together, drugged. The many ways this disaster could be spun out of proportion rushed through my brain all at once. One thing was certain: Sam needed to hurry with those reports.

  I realized I was staring at her, so I cleared my throat and attempted to act normal. “So, a journalist, huh?”

  “It’s still considered journalism.”

  “Really? Writing goss–I mean, good writing for a public magazine or newspaper should always be considered journalism. Of course.”

  “That’s true.” She looked up at me then. Her face was still pale but she seemed to be sizing me up. Grabbing her water bottle, I held it out to her and stood. “Well, come on, then.”

  “Where are we going?”

  I gestured toward the gym doors. If we’d needed a distraction before, it couldn’t compare to how badly we needed one now. “A deal’s a deal.”

  We re-entered my gym, and I considered all the possibilities. I opened a cabinet drawer near the doors and removed my ring grips. I pulled them onto my hands and glanced at her. “Ladies’ choice. What do you want to see?”

  She looked around, her eyes lighting up. “What would you like to show me?”