Chapter 17

Liz liked the fact that instead of one large room for all the clients, Queen For a Day had created individual rooms that held one or two people giving the ultimate in privacy. Now lay in the chair in what one of the spa's "relaxing rooms" and told her body to do what the room was named for. She'd been wound up tight as a drum when they got there, so many conflicting thoughts whirling around in her brain and emotions clashing in her body that she felt like a rubber band pulled too tight.

The very last person she had expected to appear in her life out of the blue was Matt Vorchak. In eight years she thought she'd managed to get past all the hurt and bury the emotions he'd left swirling around inside her when he went off to chase his dream. She thought she'd come to terms with it all, made a life for herself without him. Now here he came, with the shiny trophy he'd left her to chase, and doing things like writing bad poems and send Chad Hallowell with his autograph. How was she supposed to deal with all that?

The big question was could she trust that things had changed. That she wasn't just second best because his career was over. She hated the fact that her stupid heart and her traitorous s body were ignoring all the pain he'd caused.

She closed her eyes, inhaling the light lavender scented steam and willing herself to succumb to its powers of relaxation. The lounge chair was tickly padded and shaped itself to her body. Heated coils inside were supposed to soothe her frazzled nerves, along with the aromatherapy. There was even a television mounted on the opposite wall, with a remote on the little table between Dara and her.

They'd just finished with the hot stone massages. A late lunch would be served shortly, shrimp salads and chilled wine, before the facials and mani-pedi's. Then finally the hair stylists would take over. But while they were getting their fingernails and toenails beautified, Janette, who owned the little boutique, would bring over some outfits for them to see. She really didn't need to buy a new one, but she also didn't want to put on her coffee-stained clothes after all the primping and pandering.

Dara had also mentioned something about dinner downtown on the Riverwalk. They had a favorite restaurant there, although the visits were sometimes painful. She and Matt had eaten there many times and despite her best efforts, a meal there always brought back memories.

God, wasn't she just pathetic. It was the damn poem that did it. It was so rough it was obvious he hadn't had anyone write it for him. That made it all the emotional, and she just didn't trust emotional with Matt Vorchak. For all she knew, tomorrow he could walk right out of her life again and leave her with more emotional scars.

She closed her eyes and tried to let her mind drift into nothingness.

"I love your mouth." His was barely a breath away from hers and she could almost feel the touch of his warm, soft lips on hers.

"And I love your body."

He slid his mouth across her cheek, his voice was low and rough in her ear, the whisper of airs stirring her body in all her secret places.

"I love yours, too," she murmured, and stroked her hand down his flat abs to his groin, where his cock stood swollen and proud.

"Touch me," he whispered.

She rapped her fingers around him, feeling the heat of his shaft and the throb of the vein that circled it. Slowly she stroked up and down, feeling him swell even more in his grasp and mesmerized by the tiny bead of fluid that formed on the head. When she bent down and lapped it up with her tongue he sucked in his breath, thrusting his fingers into her hair and clutching her head to keep it in place.

"More," he gasped. "That's it. God, that mouth of yours is so fucking sweet. Let me feel your lips around me. Yeah Like that."

She closed her mouth over him as she pumped her hands slowly up and down his hard cock. She moved her hands in a rhythm that had become so familiar to them both, his breath hitching with each and every stroke. He fingers tightened in her hair, guiding her head as she moved it up and down.

"God, Lizzie. You just do it to me. You - "

"Liz? Liz, are you okay?"

Dara's voice cut through the fog of the sensual dream, shocking her into reality.

"Huh? What?" Her eyes popped open and she sat up. The dream exploded, sharp and clear in her brain and she gave silent thanks she wasn't clutching an imaginary cock and making appropriate sounds. Damn!

She glanced over at Dara, who was watching her through narrowed eyes.

"What the hell is going on with you, girl? I think you aren't quite as over Matt Vorchak as you'd like us all to believe."

"What?" She blinked. "No, I'm - " She flopped back on the lounger. "I am so messed up, Dara."

"No kidding. You need to chill, honey. Inhale the lavender. When they bring in the wine take a good slug."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She sighed again. "This is so just nutso."

"It's - " Dara's eyes flicked to the television. "Oh, hey. Here's the sports news. I wonder if there'll be anything about Matt and what he'll be doing."

"Do they even now he's back in town?"

Dara shrugged. "Reporters sniff out everything. Hold on." She pressed the button on the remote to raise the volume. "Oh, look. It's a picture of Matt. See? That's his number. That's the picture they took when he scored that goal. And here's the reporter."

"Before I give you the latest on the Spurs," the man said, "I have a hot tip for you. Matt Vorchak, premier defenseman for the Cajun Rage and a San Antonio native, is in town. He'll be here at five o'clock with The Cup, the trophy the team received for winning the league championship. It's customary for each team member to have The Cup for one twenty-four hour period. They each have something special planned and we understand Matt's plan is really special. Tune in at five to see Matt and The Cup and hear all about some exciting plans in his personal life."

Liz frowned. "What the hell was that all about?"

Dara muted the sound. "I guess we'll find out at five o'clock when he does his interview."

"What do you think he's got on his mind?" All kinds of weird ideas ere flying around in her brain. Something else crazy like that poem and having Chad Hallowell show up with The Cup and read it to me?"

"I think that's all we've seen from Chad today. I'm sure he has many other obligations. But we should watch the news at five and find out."

"Will we be finished here by five?" Liz asked. "Lordy! I didn't realize it took this long to be relaxed and beautiful."

"I know." Dara clapped her hands. "Let's wear our new clothes and go downtown for dinner. First we can go to that bar near The Menger Hotel you like so much, have a drink and watch the news there."

"Right." Liz snorted. "Then if he does anything to embarrass me I'll be convenient to getting drunk."

"Maybe he'll do something to surprise you. You know, something else to get back in your good graces."

"Like what? Take my picture with The Cup?" She let out a long sigh. "It's crazy, Dara. One minute I'm back to where we were eight years ago, ready to give him another chance. The next my head tells me not to trust him. That he'll just hurt me all over again. I don't know if I could handle it twice. I need to go slow here, and I get the feeling Matt's on the raw edge of impatience."

"Don't you think it's possible he realized after all this time what a mistake he made? That he never should have walked away and somehow expected you to just hang around for him?"

"All those times he called me during the past years?" she cried. "Why didn't he say something then? He just let me keep pushing him away."

"Some men aren't good at admitting they made a mistake," Dara pointed out to her. "And don't you think it's possible Matt had a lot of growing up to do?"

"What if he's just, I don't know, settling. Maybe because of his injury. Maybe he's decided that I'm second best." She held out her hands, in a pleading gesture. "How can I trust that he means it after all this time?"

Dara shifted in her lounger. "I don't know, Liz. He certainly sounded sincere to me. I can't imagine a man doing what he's done so far, especially with Chad and that poem, unless he desperately wanted another chance. It would be humiliating for him."

"So I should take the chance that I should be the one humiliated?" Just the thought of it tied her stomach in knots.

"Why don't we watch it and find out. It may have nothing to do with you at all."

Liz shook her head. "I know Matt. He's on some kind of mission where I'm concerned. When he gets his mind set on something, it never strays."

"Well, in a few hours you'll know. Meanwhile we'll be primped and pampered and dressed in new duds. Oh!" The door to the room opened. "And here is lunch. Good deal."

Liz sat up straighter, using the buttons at the side to raise the back of the lounger.

"Why do I have a feeling Matt Vorchak is about to pull the rug out form beneath me."

"Or maybe take you for a ride on a magic carpet." Dara winked. "Relax. Drink your wine. Have a little fund for a change."

Fun. Okay. Liz just hoped it wouldn't be followed by disaster.