Tackled by the King: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (48 page)

“You all remember my son, Lucas? Lucas, you already know Andre Poole and Samantha Cooper,” I nodded politely at dad’s old business associates and shook their hands. “Here, I’d like you to meet Miss Benson.” A woman with curly chestnut colored hair turned to face me and I took in her large green eyes, her sumptuous mouth, her dimpled cheeks- suddenly, my jaw fell open as I realized I was looking at Rachel from the bar. She furrowed her brows in confusion and said, “Luke?” My dad smile confusedly and said, “You know my son, Rachel?” Suddenly she raised a hand to her mouth and said in a muffled voice, “Luke- as in Lucas- as in Lucas Garrett?” I nodded, still dumbfounded at having run into Rachel again, especially at my father’s dinner party. “We met this afternoon,” I said to my father when I regained the ability to speak. He nodded and then directed his attention to another guest as Rachel and I moved to quieter corner. “You look breathtaking,” I said as my eyes traveled over her seductively red lips, her figure hugging green outfit and her high heels. She blushed and said, “Thank you, Luke- I mean, Lucas. God, I feel so stupid for not having made the connection earlier!” Her cheeks were bright red and I shook my head, “It’s because you heard Jackson say my name, and he’s one of the few people who still call me Luke. But at least, I know your full name now, Miss Benson,” I said with a playful twinkle in my eyes.

Chapter Eight: Rachel

I felt myself blushing furiously as Lucas said my name- there was something so sensual about the way he held it in his mouth. I still couldn’t believe that I had run into him here, and suddenly, I was very glad that I had taken the extra effort to look good tonight. I noticed that Lucas had let his gaze quickly travel up and down my body, so I thought it was only fair for me to sneakily do the same. He looked heart-stoppingly handsome in his tuxedo with the white bow tie and I could tell he had freshly shaved his face- his skin looked incredibly smooth as it stretched over his chiseled cheekbones and jawline. He had an incredible body underneath that tuxedo; I could tell, and involuntarily, I bit my lip as I imagined him without the tux on. He was saying something now and I turned my attention back to his words- “If I had known you’d be here, I’d have been less reluctant to attend.” I blushed again and to prevent myself from saying something stupid, I looked around the room and said, “So you grew up here, then?” I noticed his expression suddenly change as the smile vanished from his face and he said, “Yes-” he cleared his throat, and I waited for him to go on, but he didn’t. “Um,” I said, “Your father really loves you, you know. He was so excited when he told me to make a place for you on the family table for the wedding.” He snorted and said, “How typical for him to have me there in the first place.” I didn’t know what to say, and I realized that by trying to prevent landing a foot in my mouth, I had managed to shove my entire limbs in there.

I was still standing shamefaced, thinking of something to say, when I heard a heavily accented voice call out, “Luke? Is that you?” Lucas and I spun around to face an elderly woman in a white apron and matching cap. The next moment, Lucas was embracing the woman tightly and she looked like tears would stream down her face any second, and Lucas gasped, “Eliza, oh Eliza- I’ve missed you!” I watched the two of them hold each other tightly and I felt like I was intruding on something extremely personal. I considered backing away but Lucas broke away from the old woman and said, “Rachel, I’d like you to meet my mother.” My mouth nearly fell open as my eyes darted from his face to hers, “Your mother?” I asked, unsure whether I had heard him right. Eliza laughed and said, “He’s being silly,” as she lightly slapped Lucas’s arm, “I’m the housekeeper; I’ve been working for Mr. Garrett ever since Lucas was two years old.” I suddenly understood everything- Simon had been an absentee parent, and Lucas had been raised by the maid whom he considered to be like his mother. I smiled, touched by the strong bond that held them together. I held a hand out and said, “It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Eliza. I’m Rachel Benson.” Instead of taking my hand, Eliza pulled me into a warm, maternal hug and said, “It’s a pleasure, Miss Rachel.”

Sophia floated into the room just then, and though I had already met her when I had arrived, I was still floored by her immense beauty. “Everybody, let’s move the party into the ballroom, dinner is served.” With this announcement, she floated out again, and slowly, people started to amble towards the ballroom. “Would you like a private tour?” Lucas whispered in my ear and with a rush of excitement, I nodded. He took my hand and led me out of the room through a smaller door in the back which led us out into a magnificent hallway. I was so overwhelmed by the stunning beauty of the house and the nervous excitement of being so close to Lucas that I wasn’t able to think straight. Lucas reached over and held my hand, and I thought I would faint. He led me down the hallway, and in a soft dreadfully seductive voice, pointed out the different rooms of the house. We went past the guest rooms, the library, Simon Garrett’s study, the small dining room, the large dining room, and servants’ quarter, and when we reached the staircase, Lucas said, “The bedrooms are upstairs.” My eyes darted quickly to his face- he was smiling mischievously and I said, “Um, these heels aren’t exactly made for climbing stairs.” I laughed a nervous laugh, hoping he couldn’t tell how fake it was, and then I said, “Maybe we should head back? I think your father had some wedding stuff to discuss with me.”

“Of course,” Lucas said, smirking. He let go of my hand to straighten his bow tie, but I couldn’t help wondering if he let go because I had refused to go up to his bedroom. What if he had suddenly lost all interest in me? I kept thinking about whether or not I had made a mistake in denying his subtle request, and what that meant while Lucas and I made our way back up the hallway. I sped up and headed towards the same door we had come through, but Lucas pointed at another door nearby and said, “That leads straight into the ballroom,” I nodded gratefully and pushed the door open. People were seated around a long table in the center of the room, and I understood why the dinner was being held in the ballroom instead of the dining room- there were, at least, a hundred people there and the ballroom was the only indoor space big enough to hold them all. Waiters were walking around the tables carrying trays full of champagne and wine glasses while the guests all sat at the table. They all looked up to see Lucas and me enter the room, and for a brief second, all conversation came to a standstill. It continued on immediately after, but that brief second felt like an eternity to me- my face turned bright red and I wondered what people had thought as they saw me enter through a back door with Lucas. I threw a brief glance at Simon, seated at the head of the table, and wondered if he thought I was just another floozy.

Without another word, I quietly made my way to an empty seat at the table and turned my eyes silently towards the plate before me. Unfortunately, Lucas sat right opposite me and every few minutes, he would look up and smile. My heartbeat sped up and I could feel a flush creeping onto my face as I kept my eyes consciously down. Suddenly, everybody was staring at me, and I looked up, turning bright red. “Rachel?” Simon said, and I realized that he had been saying something to me and that’s why everybody had looked at me. In my surprise, I clumsily dropped a fork under the table and I said, “Sorry?” I heard a few of the guests snigger behind their napkins and I felt absolutely mortified, but Simon smiled politely and said, “A few of the guests were asking Sophia and me questions about the wedding, and I said there’s nobody better to answer them than Rachel Benson.” I smiled gratefully at him and then proceeded to respond to some guests’ questions about flowers and champagne. I was still talking when I felt something on my leg and I nearly jumped- and while talking to an elderly lady, I suddenly realized that Lucas had gotten under the table to retrieve my fork and was now running his hand up my leg and towards my inner thigh. I tried not to moan as I felt his fingers move further and further up, and then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. No, no, no why did he stop?

Lucas was back in his chair, and as he ran his fingers through his hair, a mischievous little smile played around the corners of his mouth. I bit my lip as he looked at me, and for a moment that felt like an hour, he held my gaze. I looked away suddenly, unable to bear the intensity of it, and felt a small shiver run down my spine. What was this man doing to me? Another guest asked me something about the wedding, and I tried my best to respond but I couldn’t focus on the words. A waiter carrying a tray passed by me and I leaned back to quietly ask him, “Excuse me, could you please tell me where the bathroom is?” He smiled and nodded and then quietly whispered instructions, “Down the corridor, second door on your left.” I nodded my thanks and then surreptitiously got up from the table when the rest of the guests were listening rapturously to a funny anecdote Sophia was relating, and I slipped out of the ballroom. As soon as I was in the corridor, I ran as fast as my shoes would allow towards the bathroom; I shut the door behind me and rested my hot forehead against its cool polished wood surface. After I had steadied my breathing, I turned around to check my reflection, but I was blown away by the sheer size of the bathroom. A high stained glass window caught the moonlight and diffused it gently over the marble sink and countertop. The gleaming white tiles near the toilet looked more stately and elegant than anything I had ever seen in my life, and I started to wonder how much money you would need to have to even pee in such luxury.

I walked over to the mirror, and with my fingers, I combed my curls away from my forehead. I wished I could splash some water onto my face to help cool down a little, but there was no way I’d risk running my makeup like that. I was just fanning myself while watching my reflection, when in the mirror, I saw the door open, and a figure entered. “I was hoping I’d find you in here,” said Lucas as I spun around to face him, shocked. “Lucas- what are you doing here?” I gasped and he came closer, “Well, I came looking for you.” He smiled and pushed a stray curl off my face. I seemed to melt under his touch, and he came even closer, cupping my chin now as he said, “What is it about you, Rachel Benson, that draws me in like this?” I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, I could taste his lips on mine. I kissed him back fiercely and he knotted his fingers in my hair while his other hand traveled down my back slowly. I arched it involuntarily and he kissed me harder. Before I knew it, both his hands were on my ass and he hoisted me up, moving backward, he pushed me onto the counter and I wrapped my legs around him as we continued to kiss fiercely. He pulled away suddenly and I cried out, “Don’t stop, please.” He grinned at me and said, “Oh, I don’t plan on it.”

Chapter Nine: Lucas

There was a sudden knock on the door and Rachel quickly pushed me away. “Ms. Benson?” a male voice called out, “Mr. Benson, Mr. Garrett would like to speak to you in his study.” Rachel’s eyes widened with panic and she said, “I’m coming, just a second.” She pushed me away and slid off the countertop where I had placed her. She straightened her clothes and her hair and turned around to check her reflection. “Oh my God,” she whispered, as she glanced at the lipstick smeared all over her mouth. I chuckled softly as I wiped off the lipstick I had managed to get on mine. “Why are you laughing? This isn’t funny!” she cried as she pulled a tissue out of the little box near the mirror, “Oh my God, if he finds out, he’ll fire me.” She bent over the counter to scrutinize her reflection in the mirror as she hastily fixed her makeup, and I stepped back to admire that generous ass of hers. I could see that she was panicking though and I said, in as calm a voice as I could muster up, “Don’t worry, you look great. In fact, you look amazing.” She stopped scrubbing her lips and threw a glance at me in the mirror, and for a brief moment, our eyes met before she straightened up and said, “I can’t lose this job.” I shook my head and said, “You won’t- they’re not gonna fire their wedding planner a week before the wedding. Sophia already lost her shit when the other one fell ill, she would call Monique up all the time-” I realized the mistake I had made the minute I uttered Monique’s name and Rachel pursed her lips. “Yes, well, I should go see your father now.”

Without another word, Rachel strode out of the bathroom, and I waited a minute or two before I fixed my bowtie and then slipped out unnoticed. I walked straight into the kitchen where I knew I would find Eliza. As I pushed the door open, I was met with chaos- pots and pans were flying everywhere and a very red-faced Eliza was shouting at all the caterers. “You there- why did they hire you, to just stand there with a stupid look on your face? Get the desserts out now!” I stepped into the kitchen and cleared my throat, and suddenly, everything fell silent. Eliza turned around to see what had happened and immediately, her expression softened. She threw open her arms and said, “Luke!” I walked into her arms and rested my head on her shoulder before I stood up straight and looked at her face. “You’re so much more grown up every time I see you,” she said as she stroked my cheek. “Now,” she said, pulling her hand away and looking at me in reprimanding manner, “You wanna tell me what you think you’re doing with that girl in green?” I grinned sheepishly and said, “Let’s go for a walk, E,” and she nodded. She turned to shout at the caterers once more, “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, and if everything isn’t perfect till then, there’ll be a waiter massacre in here!” I grinned and then held out my arm to her. She took it and we walked out of the kitchen’s back door into one of the gardens.

“Luke, what about Miss Monique? I thought for sure you were getting married- why are you flirting with this other woman?” I shook my head and said, “Monique and I over, Eliza- we weren’t right for each other.” Eliza opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it, and then she said, “Well- I never thought it was my place Luke, but I never liked her. She was always so-” Eliza struggled for a word and I said, “Bitchy?” Eliza laughed sheepishly and then nodded, “Yes- bitchy.” I smiled wryly and said, “I thought I loved her, I really did, but I don’t. I know that now, and I couldn’t handle her jealousy and the constant fighting over petty things that didn’t matter- I was so busy working that I didn’t realize I was unhappy.” Eliza held my hand and squeezed it, and she said, “So now you’re going back to old Luke habits? Flirting with as many girls as you can?” I looked away, and I shrugged my shoulders, “I don’t know- I mean, why shouldn’t I explore all my options?” Eliza patted my hand and said, “I just worry for you, Lukey. You know that- I’m not your father, I don’t care about reputation or scandal, I just want you to be happy.” I nodded and looked away, and she said loudly, “Well, let’s get back inside now, I have a dinner party to run.” I nodded and said, “You go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you after the dinner.” I watched her walk away, and then I sat down on the porch steps and dug inside my jacket pockets for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. I lit up a smoke and dragged on it, inhaling deeply.