Sizzling (23 page)

* * *

THE DOWNTOWN SPORTS BAR was crowded for a Thursday night—
the Seahawks were playing so the place was busy and loud.
Reid
stood behind the bar and leaned toward Mandy, one of the waitresses,
to hear her drink order.
He hadn't worked in weeks— not
since the article in the paper. His only visits to the bar had been
off-hours and low-key. But tonight he was filling in for a guy who'd
gotten sick. He was taking a lot of crap from patrons, but he was
dealing.
He poured two beers, then grabbed the bottles to make
an apple martini. Not his choice for a football game, or anytime, but
it wasn't for him. He poured in the right amounts of the various
liquors, dumped the ice from the martini glass, filled it up and set
it on Mandy's tray.
"Hey, Reid," some guy at the bar
yelled.
Reid turned toward the voice, but he couldn't see who
had spoken. They were two and three deep at the bar.
"Is
it true you're really lousy in bed?"
So far all the
comments had been joking and friendly. This was the first direct
confrontation.
Despite the fact that the Seahawks had the ball
and were inches from a first down, the space around the bar went
quiet. He wondered if the guy would have the guts to show
himself.
The decision was made for the man when several people
moved away, leaving a short, balding guy in his late thirties
standing alone.
Reid looked at him, gave a slight smile, then
asked, "You want to know for yourself?"
There was a
moment of silence followed by an explosion of laughter. The guy
shifted uncomfortably, muttered "No," and slunk
away.
"Anyone else interested?" Reid asked. "I'm
here, I'm working. Take your best shot. I can handle it."
"That's
not what that woman in the paper said," another man
called.
"Want your wife to give me a recommendation?"
Reid asked with a grin. "She will."
The guy
grumbled, but didn't show himself.
"Anyone else?"
Reid asked. "You've got to have better lines than the ones I've
been hearing. Come on. Nail me."
A woman leaning on the
bar smiled at him. "Why aren't you mad? Guys I know would want
that reporter's blood."
He took another order from one of
the servers, then began to pour more beer.
"I was pissed
at first," he admitted. "Embarrassed, but then I realized
it didn't matter. I was a pitcher for a lot of years. Everybody who
watched the game had an opinion about what I did and how I did it.
Yet not one of them could come close to doing what I did. I learned
there's always some asshole who can do a hell of a job on
play-by-play but can't last a second in the game. It's the same with
sex."
The woman grinned and several of the guys around
him laughed.
"The thing is," Reid continued. "As
many women as I've been with, I had to learn something. Right?"
"I
know you did, darlin'," the woman said with a smile that told
him she was one of the many.
Not that he remembered anything
about whatever time he'd spent with her.
Well, hell. What did
that say about him? He could only imagine the choice words Lori would
have for him if she knew there were women who had been in his bed and
he didn't remember anything about them. He couldn't even pick them
out of a line-up.
He continued filling drink orders and
talking to the customers. No one else made any cracks about him, but
he barely noticed. There was only one opinion that mattered. And the
only way to keep her coming back was to make sure he was the kind of
man she would want to be with for the rest of her life.

* * *

FRIDAY AFTERNOON, Reid got back to Gloria's place about
four-thirty. He took the stairs two at a time. Lori was working until
six, and then she was joining him upstairs. He had big plans for the
night. He'd ordered a great dinner, then he was going to seduce Lori
three or four times, after which they'd have dessert.
As he'd
spent a couple of hours in the gym, he wanted a shower before she
showed up. He walked into his bedroom just as he pulled off his
sweatshirt. So he didn't see his surprise right away.
"Hi,
Reid," an unfamiliar voice said.
He froze in the act of
dropping his sweatshirt, swore silently, then shrugged the shirt back
into place. He sucked in a breath, then turned to look at the
bed.
Two women lay there. Two blond, pretty, young women.
They'd pulled back the covers, fluffed the pillows and stretched out
naked on his sheets.
Totally naked.
He barely glanced
at their bodies before returning his attention to their faces. He
recognized the twins. The three of them had had a weekend together
and then the twins had gone on CNN to promote some damn book. They'd
also taken a couple of pokes at him.
The one on the right sat
up then crawled toward the end of the bed.
"Are you mad
at us, baby? We were bad. Very, very bad. Do you want to punish
us?"
Her large, perfect breasts hung down, swaying gently
with each movement. Her skin was pale, her nipples nearly red.
The
one on the left smiled. "You could spank us. Wouldn't that be
fun?"
Several feelings crashed in on him, but the
overriding one was complete and total panic. What if Lori walked in
on them right now? What would she think? There was no way in hell he
could explain these two. He didn't want to explain them— he
wanted them gone.
"Let's have some fun, Reid," the
first one said, her blond hair falling over her shoulders. She licked
her lips. "Really hot, naked fun. You'll like it. I
promise."
"Me, too," her sister said.
He
couldn't get out of there fast enough. Not caring if he looked liked
an idiot, he turned and ran from the room, then sped along the hall
and raced down the stairs. He found Lori in with his grandmother and
asked to speak with her.
Lori followed him into the
hallway.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "You have
the weirdest look on your face. Are you hurt or sick?"
He
didn't know what to say to her. How could he tell her the truth? She
wouldn't understand. Lori had issues. Some made sense to him and some
didn't but he knew they were there.
He touched her cheek. "You
matter to me," he said. "You know that, right?"
Her
eyes narrowed. "What have you done?"
"I haven't
done anything. I swear. It wasn't me. It's not my fault."
"The
eternal cry of the irresponsible male."
"It isn't.
Dammit, Lori, you know me. You know that I'm a decent guy. I would
never hurt you."
She folded her arms across her chest.
"Tell me."
"I want you," he said, knowing
he was getting it all wrong, but not sure what else to say. "You
mean a lot to me. More than a lot. I like what we have together and
you like it, too. I would never do anything to mess things up."
She
raised her eyebrows. "But?"
He sucked in a breath.
"I came home and went upstairs because you're coming up and I
wanted to take a shower. I walked into my bedroom and they were just
there. I didn't let them in. I've been gone. You know that, right?
I've been at the gym. They were just
there.
"
He
paused and waited, braced for the explosion.
"Who was
where?"
"These two women. You don't know them.
They're baseball groupies. Twins. I want them to leave, but I don't
know how to make them. I'm afraid they'll take anything I say as
encouragement."
He couldn't read her expression.
Something flashed in her eyes, but it was gone before he could
identify it.
"They're upstairs?" she asked.
"In
my bed. Naked."
Her eyes widened. "You have two
naked women in your bed?"
He nodded frantically, then
grabbed her arm. "You have to help me. I swear, I didn't contact
them. I don't want them here. I don't want any of this."
One
corner of her mouth twitched. "Is the big bad baseball player
afraid?"
"Terrified."
"You expect
me to go up there and throw them out?"
"That would
be great."
"I'm assuming you've slept with
them."
He glanced down and shuffled his feet. "It
was a long time ago."
"Both of them? At the same
time?"
He nodded glumly.
"Impressive."
He
looked at her. Okay, maybe he wasn't the best judge of women, but if
he had to guess, he would say Lori wasn't totally furious with
him.
Her mouth twitched again. "What did you want me to
say to them?"
"That we're together. That you don't
stand for this sort of thing. Not ever. You could tell them I'm not
interested, if you want. Because I'm not. You're the only woman I
want in my life."
"All right."
She
turned and walked up the stairs. He followed, not sure how this was
going to go, but relieved to have Lori take charge.
She walked
through the living room and into his bedroom. The twins were still
sprawled naked on his bed.
The one on the right smiled when
she saw Lori.
"Hi. We've never done a foursome before.
This could be fun."
Lori glanced around the room, then
walked over to the neatly folded clothing on the dresser and picked
it up.
"Aren't you two a little old for games like this?"
she asked. "Showing up naked in a guy's bed seems beneath you.
You're attractive women. Do something with your lives. Go to college,
have a career. Be more than your bust size."
The twins
looked at each other, then at Lori. "But we like this."
Lori
tossed them their clothes. "Do you? Really? Are you proud of
yourselves? Can you tell your grandmother how you spend your day?
When you were little, didn't you want more than this?"
The
twin on the left blinked. "I always liked working with animals.
I thought I'd work in a vet's office, you know?"
"Fine.
Do that. Do anything. In about ten years your looks are going to go.
Then what? You need to think about your future. Open an IRA, start
learning about current events. Grow up. In the meantime, get dressed
and get out of here. I'm with Reid and he doesn't cheat on me."
The
twins looked at each other again, then shrugged. "Okay,"
the one on the right said.
They got up and dressed.
"We're
sorry about barging in," the spokestwin said. "We didn't
know Reid was serious about anyone."
Reid had kept quiet
through the conversation, sensing things would go better if Lori was
in charge. Now he walked over to her and put his arm around
her.
"I'm serious," he said clearly. "Totally
serious. Involved. We're together."
The twins smiled.
"That's good. Okay. Well, good luck with everything."
They
collected their purses and left.
He waited until their
footsteps had faded, then looked at Lori.
"You saved
me."
"Apparently. I can't believe you dated those
two. They give airheads a bad name."
He stared into her
hazel eyes. "I didn't date them, Lori. I had sex with them.
That's who I was. A lowlife bastard who accepted every interesting
invitation sent my way. I didn't require anything of them and I sure
as hell didn't require anything of myself."
It was as
honest as he'd ever been in his life.
"I'm not proud of
that past. I won't apologize for it, but I'm done with it. I'm not
that guy anymore."
He braced himself for a crack or
worse, her withdrawal. Instead she leaned in and kissed him.
"I
know," she whispered. "You've turned into someone quite
amazing."
He liked the sound of that. He put his hands on
her waist and pulled her close. "I've always been
amazing."
"Okay, maybe. But now it doesn't have
anything to do with getting naked."
He cupped her rear
and squeezed. "It could."
She laughed softly. "I
have to get downstairs to your grandmother, but we're on for later,
right?"
"Oh, yeah."
She smiled and he
smiled and then it was like someone hit him in the chest with a
baseball bat. He felt the impact and the air rushed out of him and he
couldn't breathe.
He loved her. Honest to God, he loved her.
Everything about her. The way she talked, how her brain worked, the
scent of her skin, her sense of humor, her combination of toughness
and caring.
She was the best part of his world and she'd made
him into a better man. He wanted her and he needed her.
He
wanted to be with her always. He wanted to marry her.
"Reid?
Are you all right?"
"I'm good."
He
wanted to tell her right that second, then he hesitated. Telling Lori
he loved her was a big deal and he wanted to say it right. He wanted
the moment to be special and powerful. He didn't want her thinking he
was just grateful for how she'd handled the twins.
Tonight, he
thought. When they were alone. He would confess his feelings and
propose. Was there time to go buy a ring?
Her cell phone rang.
She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen.
"It's
Madeline," she said, paling slightly. "She would only
bother me at work if there was an emergency." She pushed the
talk button. "Hello?"
Reid waited while she
listened. As he watched, the worry faded and elation took its
place.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "For real?
When? Oh, my God! I'll be right there. I know. It's amazing. I love
you."
She hung up and grinned at him. "She got the
call. There's a donor."

CHAPTER
NINETEEN

LORI SAT on Madeline's bed and counted socks. "We don't
have to worry about you bringing everything," she said. "I
can go get anything you need."
"I know."
Madeline's lips turned up in a smile, but her eyes looked worried.
"I'll feel better when I have my suitcase packed."
Lori
suspected her sister's issues weren't about the suitcase. "Are
you okay?"
"Sure. I'm scared but excited. Did I
mention scared?"
"Scared?" Reid asked as he
carried in an empty suitcase and put it on Madeline's bed. "Who's
scared?"
"No one," Madeline said with a smile.
"Just maybe a little chicken."
"Which beats
being a big chicken," Reid said. "Or a duck."
Madeline
laughed.
Lori stood and pulled her sister close. "This is
a great thing. You know that, right? It's your chance."
"I
know. I'm so grateful to find a match. I wasn't sure we ever would.
I'm such a difficult blood type. But we did and now I have a chance
again. That's all good. Reid, I don't want you to think I'm not
grateful. You put yourself out there for me."
"I
delivered an important message," he said. "Nothing more."
He patted her arm. "I'll leave you two to your packing."
When
he was gone Madeline sighed. "He's a good man. I just wish
there'd been more time."
"What do you mean?"
Lori asked.
"I'm not ready to do this." Madeline
held up her hand before Lori could protest. "I know. Without a
transplant, I die. I want the surgery. It's just…"
Lori
understood. They were talking about a serious operation. "You
have a great doctor. Remember that."
Madeline stepped
back and smiled. "I do. Still, it's weird to think about someone
else's liver in my body. It sounds so gross."
"It
beats being dead."
"You always did have a talent for
putting things in perspective." Madeline picked up a nightgown
and folded it. "I'm happy, of course. This is a chance for me to
live a relatively normal life. But I also can't get my mind around
the fact that someone else has to die to make this happen. I don't
think I'm worthy of that."
"You didn't kill the
person. Even if you don't take their liver, they're still going to
die."
"I know, but…" She shook her head.
"I guess I can't explain it. I just feel weird. Happy and
grateful, but weird."
"You're not going to change
your mind about the surgery, are you?"
Madeline shook her
head. "It's too late. Besides, how many people get a second
chance like this? I want the operation. I never thought it would
happen and yet it's here. But it does make me think. If I don't come
back, I want you to be okay with that."
Not come back?
Madeline kept on talking, but Lori wasn't listening. Not come
back?
Madeline had to come back. She, Lori, refused to accept
any other outcome. Coming back was very much a part of the
plan.
Until that moment, Lori had never thought of her sister
dying in any but the most theoretical sense. Surgery could go badly,
but that was for other people. Her sister had always been in her
life. They were family. They had always been family.
"You
can't die," she blurted without thinking. "I couldn't stand
it."
Madeline grabbed her hand, sat on the bed and pulled
Lori next to her. "I'm not going to die."
"But
you could. I knew that in time your liver could fail, but not now. It
wouldn't be fair."
"Life isn't about fair. Odds are,
I'm going to pull through and be around for years, driving you
crazy."
Lori's eyes filled with tears. "You're my
best friend."
Her sister's expression was kind. "I
know. You're mine."
"I didn't know," Lori
muttered. "I didn't know at all. I've loved you and hated you
and all this time you've been my best friend." She blinked back
tears. "I'm sorry."
Madeline tucked a strand of
Lori's hair behind her ear. "For hating me? Don't be. If I were
you, I would have hated me, too."
"Because you're
perfect."
"I'm not perfect."
"Hey,
I was there. I have the pictures to prove it. I love you despite the
fact that you're perfect."
Madeline laughed. "Thanks
for being such a generous person, but you have to let go of the
perfect thing. Perfect people don't get sick."
"That's
not your fault. You were in that car accident and you got a blood
transfusion. That's out of your control."
"Fine. My
husband left me when I got sick. That doesn't happen to perfect
people."
Lori rolled her eyes. "Again, not your
fault. He's a jerk."
"I picked him."
"Oh.
Yeah. Good point. So you have one flaw. Lousy taste in men."
"It's
a big flaw. Which makes me not perfect."
Lori hugged her.
"You'll always be perfect to me. I love you. Don't you dare
die."
"I won't. I promise. I want to be around long
enough to be an embarrassment to you in our old age."
"I'd
like that," Lori said as she straightened. Everything would be
okay, she told herself. It had to be.
"I want to dance at
your wedding to Reid," Madeline added.
Lori sighed.
"There's not going to be a wedding."
"I thought
you were crazy about him."
"I am, but I have no idea
what he's thinking. I know he likes me but liking and marrying are
worlds apart. I don't even think about it."
Which was a
complete lie. Of course she thought about it. Sometimes it was all
she thought about. Being with Reid seemed like an impossible dream.
But sometimes she allowed herself the fantasy.
"He's so
much more than I thought," she admitted. "He's a terrific
man, which wouldn't have been my first guess."
"You're
responsible for any changes."
Lori shook her head. "That
sounds nice, but he did what he did himself. I…" She
swallowed, then confessed. "I'm in love with him."
"Have
you told him?"
"No. I'm afraid he'll laugh and
point."
"What are the odds of that actually
happening?"
"At this moment any odds are too great.
I don't need the pain in my life."
Madeline squeezed her
hand. "The man is crazy about you."
"Maybe."
But was it enough?
"He is," her sister insisted.
"Look at it this way— he's been with enough women to be
able to know what he wants. He wants you. I can see it in his
eyes."
Lori wanted to believe her so much, it hurt.
"Change of subject," she said. "I can't deal with Reid
right now."
"Then let's deal with Mom,"
Madeline said. "You're going to have to help her through
this."
"I know." Lori didn't want to think
about that, either.
"She's not the devil."
"I
never said she was."
"You have to forgive her for
what happened before," Madeline insisted. "She wasn't
herself."
Lori wasn't convinced being drunk excused
anything, but she nodded because it was what her sister wanted.
"In
case something happens," her sister continued, "I've listed
all my bank account numbers and other financial information in a
folder. It's in the top dresser drawer. There's also a life insurance
policy. I got it when I got married, but now you and Mom are the
beneficiaries. Help her invest the money, okay? She won't know what
to do."
Once again Lori fought tears. She gently punched
her sister in the arm. "Stop talking like you're doing to
die."
"I need to say this," Madeline told her
softly. "Help Mom. She'll have enough to buy a condo or
something. It will give her security."
"She'll want
to buy a trailer. I just know it."
"Then help her do
that. She's getting older, Lori. She's not in great health. All those
years of drinking aged her. I want her to be safe and happy."
Lori
wiped her eyes. "Fine. I'll help her get settled somewhere.
Either a condo or a trailer. If there's any left over, I'll help her
invest the money in something safe. I don't want to talk about
this."
"I know, but I need you to promise."
"I
promise."
"You're sure?"
Lori sniffed.
"Why not? We both know nothing's going to happen to you. So I
can promise anything."
"I like how you think."
"How
much money are we talking about with that life insurance policy?"
Lori asked, deciding she would tease them both into a happier state
of mind. "Should I get excited?"
Madeline grinned.
"You're going to have to wait and see."
"I'm
happy to wait forever."