Final Play (Matchplay Series) (10 page)

When Ella whispered, “Things might get messy,” I knew it was time to break the connection and for me to get cleaned up.

I hopped from the bed and made my way into the bathroom. As I removed the condom and begin to clean up, I was surprised when Ella poked her head in.

“Mind if I pee?” she asked. I had to admit I was taken aback. No one had ever just popped into the bathroom when I was using it.

I wasn’t sure how to respond but it didn’t matter because she just came in and sat on the toilet. Before I could say anything, she started peeing.

She laughed when she caught me staring at her. “You’ve had multiple body parts inside of me. Surely, you’re not afraid of a little pee.”

I shrugged. She had a point.  

“Do you want me to leave?” she asked mid-stream. “Haven’t you ever had a girl pee in front of you before?”

“No, absolutely not.”

“Good, I like being your first.”

***

When we got back into bed, Ella didn’t hesitate to take what I realized was going to become her spot on my chest. She snuggled close and nestled into me. Once again, it felt like she belonged there, her body next to mine, her head on my chest, our legs tangled.

I started to gently rub the back of her head and she let out a small sigh of pleasure. I wanted her to relax before we talked. Finally, I asked, “Why were you going to leave, Ella? It seemed like you were getting ready to leave without even telling me.”

“I wanted to leave before you left me,” she said softly.

“But I told you I was coming back.”

“I know,” she sighed. “I guess it was hard for me to believe. I thought I showed you too much of my true self and it scared you away. I rarely show anything other than my care-free and fun-loving side with the guys I hook up with. I was scared to show them anything real or true. Because
the few times I was real and authentic and showed my true feelings, when I was angry, or sad or afraid, anything other than easy-going and easy, that’s when they took off.”

“But I want you to be real with me. I want to see all sides of you—all of the colors, and shades and hues of Ella. Not just the happy ones. Not just the carefree ones. I want to see the sad ones, and the scared ones and the angry ones, too. I don’t want to settle for a small part of you, Ella. I want every part of you.”

She let out a single harsh laugh. Then she put her chin on her hand and glanced up at me. “Some parts of me are really hard to deal with. Even I have trouble dealing with them.”

I looked into Ella’s sad eyes. “It’s when people are the least loveable that we should love them the most.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever truly loved me. No one has ever stuck around long enough for that. Or cared enough to want to really get to know me. I’m too much trouble. Too high maintenance. Easy to dismiss as crazy and not worth the time.”

“What about Steel?” I asked and immediately regretted brin
ging him up. But there was still something about their relationship that made me uncomfortable and it was like I was obsessed with figuring out what it was.

When Ella stiffened, that confirmed my error in bringing him up again. She lifted her head from my chest and looked at me with cold eyes. “What Steel and I have is no different. He just escapes so fast that he doesn’t leave time to deal with anything other than sex. Steel barely has time to get the condom off before he’s out the door.”

I noted a hint of bitterness in Ella’s voice that I had never detected before. She obviously still had some kind of feelings for him, even if they were negative feelings. “I noticed you said
what Steel and I hav
e not
what we had
.”

She put her head back down on my chest and ignored my statement.

“
Have
or
had
?” I pushed. I knew I probably shouldn’t have but I did anyway. A possessive and jealous Lucas was emerging. He was a part of me that I never knew existed but Ella brought out.

She sighed.
“Had.”

I wanted to ask if she was sure but I knew that would be overkill and I didn’t want to push her too much.

I began to softly caress her shoulder and within a few minutes, Ella’s breathing evened out and I could tell she was asleep. It wasn’t long before my eyelids started to feel heavy and I was asleep, too.

***

  I was startled awake by pounding. It took me a moment to realize someone was pounding on the front door. Ella didn’t have a clock in her bedroom so I no idea what time it was. I turned to look at my watch, which I had placed on the nightstand but it was too dark to see the watch face.

As the pounding got louder, Ella stirred. As if out of habit, she jumped from the bed. I had the feeling she was going to answer the door, so I hopped out of bed and grabbed her arm.

“It’s the middle of the night,” I stated even though it was a guess—and educated guess based on the darkness of the room—but still a guess.

As the fog of sleep lifted, she seemed to realize I was stan
ding in the way of her and the door. “He won’t stop until I answer the door.”

“Steel?”
I guessed.

She nodded.

“You’re not going to answer the door,” I stated firmly. “I am.”

When she swallowed hard, I realized I might be in for a bit of conflict. But there was no way that guy was ever getting into Ella’s house again.

Without waiting for any further conversation about it, and before I had time to psyche myself out, I headed out of the bedroom and made my way toward the front door. The pounding was now incessant, almost feverish. “Ella!” Steel screamed. “Open the fucking door!”

When Steel saw me standing in front of him, all of the color drained from his face, which had been bright red from all of the frantic door pounding. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Steel’s words were slurred and I could smell alcohol exuding from his pours.

I immediately felt nauseated thinking about what he had come for and what he would have done to Ella if I hadn’t been there.

I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to stand as tall as I could. I had always been tall and gangly and I knew no one would ever mistake me for menacing but I had the overwhelming need to do whatever it took to protect Ella.

Did that make me sound like a caveman? The overpowering need to protect my woman was new and unfamiliar to me but the desire was definitely strong, maybe even instinctual.

“I thought I told you to leave Ella alone,” I stated firmly.

The guy had the audacity to laugh at me, which made me angrier. “Maybe I don’t give a shit what you have to say.” Now Steel had his arms crossed over his massive chest.

He looked a lot more menacing than I imagined myself to look and I had to choke
back all of the fear that was now flooding my body. I took a deep breath and stood my ground. “I think you need to leave.”

He glared at me. I know it’s a cliché to say if looks could kill I’d be dead but this guy’s look was murderous. He definitely wanted what was inside that house and I was standing in the way of him getting what he wanted. “Make me leave.” His tone was adamant.

“I don’t have to make you do anything. I’m just going to close the door.”

His eyes narrowed to angry slits. “I’ll just rip the fucking door down.”

It was becoming exceedingly clear why Ella never wanted to tell this guy no. I wasn’t sure how to proceed. I was one of the nerds. I always associated with freaks and geeks. I was never around angry violent people. And definitely not drunk, angry violent people. My experience with violence was limited to videogames.

“Ella doesn’t want you here,” I said quickly hoping that me
ntioning her name might diffuse his anger a bit.

He laughed again. “You have no idea what Ella wants.”

I wanted to tell him he was wrong—that I knew exactly what Ella wanted but I wasn’t sure that was true. I hoped she wanted everything I could give her but standing there, in front of SteeI, I wasn’t sure if I was enough. Maybe Steel really did have something that she wanted. Although at that moment, I couldn’t imagine what that might be.

We both stood there, our arms folded on our chests, staring each other down. We were clearly at an impasse. Then I heard Ella’s soft voice behind me. “Let me talk to him.”

I cringed at the thought of allowing Ella anywhere near Steel. He disgusted me in nearly every way possible. I didn’t even want him setting his eyes on Ella even again. For a moment I wondered if I bought him a ticket to somewhere far away, like Europe or, even better, Asia, if he’d go and leave us alone.

Ella peeked out from behind me and looked at Steel. “Maybe you should go home.” Her suggestion was calm and her tone even.

“What the fuck, Ella,” Steel cried. “I thought lover boy would be gone by now. I gave him three dates tops. Enough time to take care of business and be on his way.”

If I wasn’t so risk adverse, and he wasn’t so huge, I would have punched the guy. Instead, I put my arm around Ella and pulled her close. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He started to laugh again. “Yeah, you say that now. I guess she hasn’t freaked out on you yet. The chick is fucked up, Man.”

When I heard a small snivel come from my side, I had the feeling Ella was trying to hold in her emotions and not cry in front of Steel.

“If you want that broken bitch, you can have her. She’s cracked beyond repair. Only good for one thing. But I guess you already figured that out.”

I was getting a lot closer to punching him: screw his size and my aversion to risk. He deserved it.

He pointed a finger in Ella’s direction. “When Joe Engineer finally decides to dumps your sorry ass, I’m not coming back.”

And with that, he turned and stomped away.

My heart felt like it broke into a million little pieces when I looked at Ella and tears were streaming down her face. What could I possibly say that would make things better? “He’s obviously angry. I’m sure he didn’t mean everything he said.”

“I know he did,” she stated, her face stoic.

“It’s not true,” I countered.

She looked up at me with forlorn eyes. “What if it is? What if I really am worthless, disposable, just like he treats me—like everyone treats me?”

My broken heart shattered even more. I took Ella by the shoulders and turned her to face me, so we were eye to eye. “You’re the most talented woman I’ve ever met. You’re filled with passion and zest for life. I treasure you, Ella.”

She bit her bottom lip like she was thinking about what I just said. Then she leaned up and placed a tender kiss on my lips.

I thought about all of the awful things Steel had said to her—to both of us. I hoped she didn’t stay with him because he validated feelings she had about herself. She obviously had no idea how wonderful she was, maybe because no one had ever told her so. “Steel is obviously an idiot,” I assured her. “I feel lucky to have you in my life.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Come on,” I said as I put my arm back around her. “We should get back to bed. I’ve got to be up for work in a few hours.”

Six

Ella’s suitcase was much heavier than it looked. “No one is going to accuse you of packing light,” I joked as I placed the bag in my trunk.

“I want to look nice for our first trip together,” she replied as she threw her overnight ba
g into the trunk with her suitcase.

“I think you look nice naked.” I couldn’t stop a big grin from appearing on my face.

“I think that can be arranged,” she teased.

I reached into the breast pocket of my sports coat and r
emoved a folded stack of papers. “I have here a detailed list of major hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions within a five mile radius of the museum where Cheyenne Robison’s work is being displayed.”

Ella laughed. “Do you always have to have everything planned out? You can be spontaneous sometimes, you know. You don’t have to anticipate the outcome of every move you make. It’s okay to let life unfold and enjoy the process.”

She was right. I wanted to me more free-spirited and less predictable. I wanted Ella to think I was fun. I tore up the papers and handed them to her. “I’m willing to give spontaneous a try. To let things unfold.”

She gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Have I told you how cute you are?”

“It doesn’t hurt to hear it again,” I prompted.

“You’re exceptionally cute,” she repeated. 

Of course, I still had copies of all the torn documents saved on my iPhone just in case.

***

We decided to stay at a spa resort outside of Scottsdale. It wasn’t very far from the downtown Phoenix area, where the museum was located, but the desert location and the expansive mountain views were spectacular.

I thought it was worth the money to splurge a little on the accommodations. Ella and I hadn’t discussed who would pay for the trip and I just made the assumption at some point that as the man, it would be my responsibility. I knew it was probably a sexist and old-fashion attitude but I couldn’t let go of the strong urge I had to take care of Ella.

Ella, however, had other ideas.

Somehow, she had managed to book our plane tickets wit
hout my knowledge and when we got to the hotel, she reached for her credit card as quickly as I did.

When I scowled at her, she eased her card back into her wa
llet.

“You can’t pay for everything, Ella,” I said quietly as we got into the elevator with all of our bags.

“Lucas, my parents are extremely wealthy. I’m extremely wealthy because my parents gave me a huge trust fund. I have enough money to buy this hotel. You really don’t need to pay for anything.”

I bit my cheek thinking about what to say then looked over at her. “Maybe I want to.”

“It’s just not necessary.”

I touched her face. “I told you I want to take care of you, E
lla. This is me taking care of you.”

She smiled. “Okay. I get it.”

***

Our hotel room exceeded my every expectation, from the elegant furnishing to the luxurious oversized bathroom. It was definitely worth the hefty price tag.

“This place is spectacular,” I commented as I moved over to the drawn shade and opened it. I’m not much of a whistler but I actually let out a slow one as I took in the spectacular view of the big sky and mountains.

Ella linked her arm in mine and leaned her head on my shoulder. We took in the magnificent view together. I never got tired of having Ella close to me, of feeling the warmth of her body next to mine.

It wasn’t long before my stomach gurgled then growled and we both laughed.

“That thing is like clockwork,” Ella stated as
she patted my belly. “It even accounted for the time change.”

I glanced at my watch.
Dinner time. “What do you feel like eating?”

She raised a seductive eyebrow.

“What you’re thinking about is dessert. Scottsdale is supposed to have some of the finest restaurants in world. Let’s get dressed up and see what we can score without reservations.”

Ella knocked on the bathroom door while I was in the middle of shaving.

“Let me in,” she cried.

“I’ll be done in just a minute.” I tried to hurry the procedure but I didn’t want to cut myself. That’s all I needed to add to the geek factor, to be walking around posh Scottsdale with tissue paper stuck to my chin.

She continued to bang on the door until I relented and let her in. Before I could say anything, she hurried to the toilet, whipped down her panties and started peeing.

“What are you doing?” I asked uncomfortably.

She laughed. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Do you want me to leave?” I suggested although I’m not sure why I just didn’t go.

“Aren’t you used to seeing me peeing yet?”

I scrunched my nose. “Not really.”

“It’s not a big deal. Whenever I use the bathroom, you have my permission to come in and pee anytime you want.”

I tried to imagine walking in on Ella while she was putting on makeup or doing her hair and taking a leak. It didn’t seem as far-fetched as I initially imagined. Even though Ella and I had only known each other a short time, in some ways we felt like an old married couple.

As we were getting dressed, I noticed Ella was wearing a fabulous white sundress with spaghetti straps. I knew the present I had for her would be the perfect accessory.

During my lunch hour on Thursday, I actually left the buil
ding, which may have been a first, and scoured the area around our building for every jewelry store within a fifteen mile radius. I meticulously examined every possible option until I happened upon the perfect necklace for Ella. I knew it the moment I saw it.

Of course, Moe, Larry and Curly teased me incessantly about taking time off
for my excursion out of the office.

“I bet he went to stock up on condoms,” Ron teased and the other guys chuckled.

“I bet he’s going to do her all weekend long,” Rick added.

I knew the teasing was partially
jealously because the guys didn’t have girlfriends and very few prospects. I think they also liked to live vicariously through me.

I removed the small velvet box from my overnight bag and turned to face Ella with it. I cleared my throat to get her atte
ntion.

I never saw Ella wear any jewelry at all, not even a watch, so I was a little hesitant to pick something out. But I thought it was perfect and I hoped she thought so, too.

She tilted her head and stared at the box in my hand as if she was trying to figure out what it was. “It’s a present, Ella. Take it.” I practically had to shove it in her hands.

Then I held my breath because she just stared at the closed box for a long time.

“Open it,” I prodded.

She carefully opened the box and took in a breath when she saw the rose gold butterfly heart pendant necklace. “I don’t know what to say.”

Now I was really nervous. All kinds of thoughts raced through my head. Didn’t she like it? Was it too extravagant? Not extravagant enough? She came from a wealthy family, maybe they gave her jewelry all the time and she didn’t think much of my comparatively modest gift. “Do you like it?” I could hear the hesitancy in my voice as the words came out.

When she looked back up at me, her eyes were wet and a tear streamed down her face. “No one has ever given me jewelry before.”

“No one?” I repeated, in surprise.

She shook her head.

“Not even your mom and dad?”

She continued shaking her head.

I got close to her and pointed to the small butterfly with wings made of pink-sapphires. “You’re like a butterfly, bold and beautiful, yet fragile. Then I pointed to the diamond-encrusted heart that surrounded the butterfly. “And this is my heart. Whenever you look at this, I want you to remember that you’re always in my heart.”

She carefully placed her index finger on the heart and traced its outline. Then she looked up at me. “It’s beautiful, Lucas. I love it.”

I finally exhaled in relief. “Would you like me to put it on you?”

She nodded and I carefully removed the necklace from the box and placed it around her neck. We both sta
red at it in the mirror for a few moments.

“I’m never going to take it off,” she said as she held the pe
ndent in her hand.

I placed a light kiss on her cheek. When she turned to face me, she placed a soft kiss on my lips that quickly ignited. I grabbed Ella and pulled her body next to mine and we deepened the kiss. I could feel an erection spring to life and I knew if we didn’t slow down, we’d be skipping dinner and getting right to dessert.

Then, as if on cue, my stomach let out a massive growl. 

“We’d better feed the beast,” I joked and we both laughed.

***

Downtown Scottsdale was so different than anything I had ever seen before. I grew up on the East Coast and lived there all of my life. I even stayed fairly close to home for college. My parents weren’t wealthy so our yearly vacations usually consisted of trips to one of the various resorts that lined the New England shore. The furthest south we had ever driven was Washington, DC, the summer before high school. My parents thought it was important for
me and my sister to see the seat of American government and have the experience of viewing these important sites before we started high school.

Phoenix was definitely my first trip west and Scottsdale didn’t disappoint. The place obviously catered to high end clientele. All of the retail establishments looked clean and new—also quite elegant and clearly expensive.

In a word, the city was upscale.

“See anything that captures your attention and says eat here?” I asked as Ella and I walked hand-in-hand down the main thoroughfare. It was still fairly early for a Friday evening but the pace around the bars and restaurants was definitely picking up.

Ella glanced around at the myriad of choices, her eyes wide. There were so many interesting places to choose from, it felt overwhelming.

“What about Mexican?” Ella offered. “We are in the sout
hwest.”

“Did you know that almost
thirty percent of Arizona’s population is of Mexican ancestry?  That’s probably due to the fact that Arizona was once part of Mexico. Arizona didn’t become a U.S. state until February 14, 1912.  It was the 48th state admitted to the union and the last of the contiguous states to be admitted.”

Ella stopped and looked at me. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re too smart?”

How about all the time
, I thought. Instead I replied, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re too beautiful?”

She frowned.
“No, never.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

Ella started walking again and pulled me along with her. “You know how I can hear colors? I think you see beauty in ordinary things.”

I laughed. “Ella, you are a lot of things but ordinary is def
initely not one of them. I can assure you that you’re extraordinary in every way.”

“What about this place?” she motioned to a small Mexican place that didn’t yet have the crowd that some of the other larger restaurants were starting to amass.

“It looks quaint,” I replied.

She
tilted her head. “Is that a yes or a no?”

“Let’s give it a try,” I offered as I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me through the entrance.

We were immediately greeted by a smiling Latino. “Two for dinner?” he asked as he reached for a couple of menus.

“That would be wonderful,” I replied.

“Follow me.”

He led us to a quiet table near the back of the dining area. As we sat down and he handed us our menus, he remarked, “Are the two of you on your honeymoon?”

I think both of us went wide-eyed at the same time.

“Oh, no,” I stated quickly. Ella was already shaking her head.

“Oh, my mistake,” the man said. “The two of you just look so happy and in love.”

We are
, I thought, although I could only speak for myself. I assumed Ella felt the same way but I couldn’t be completely sure. She hadn’t yet told me she loved me.

“Enjoy,” the man commented as he headed back over to the host area.

Ella already had her menu open by the time I looked back over at her. “You must be hungry.”

She looked over her menu at me. “It’s already past dinner on the East Coast.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t passed out,” I teased.

She actually stuck her tongue out at me.
There were a number of places I wanted to feel that tongue later tonight
, I thought.

“I’m surprised your stomach hasn’t already started a mutiny.”

“If they bring us some chips and salsa, I’m sure it will calm the rebellion.”

“What are you getting?” Ella asked.

Now I was looking over my menu at her. “Why? Do you want to share each other’s dishes?”