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| All site contents are owned and copyrighted under Crystal Bright. Use of any content on this site without express permission of the owner is prohibited. But go ahead and test me. I don't spend enough time in court now as it is. © 2002-2015 |
:: Gray's Anatomy ::
Chapter 1
“Okay, take off your pants.”
Gray Kennebeck gazed hard at the woman standing behind a long card table. The cramped room
backstage in the Scope Coliseum in Norfolk, Virginia, sweltered in an unbearable summer heat. Sweat
rolled down his face, but he wasn’t about to wipe it away in front of this shark.
It was bad enough he’d been herded through the arena without so much as a ‘Thank you for bailing us out
by filling in for our regular company doctor.’ Of course they didn’t have to know he needed the job.
“Are you shy?” the woman asked, peering over the wire-rimmed eyeglasses perched at the end of her
nose. She looked too young to sport Little House on the Prairie schoolmarm specs.
“No,” Gray replied. “Never been asked to do this on a job interview.” Even in this professional wrestling
atmosphere, this was considered odd. Why would a doctor’s body be subject to inspection? Was the
work that brutal? He shivered.
“What? Did you want a song and dance?” she asked.
“Your name would be nice.”
The woman, with a succulent honey color to her skin tone, stepped around the table littered with papers
and an opened laptop, and exhaled in obvious exasperation.
“Come on, man. I don’t have all night. I was told you were good, and a professional.” She folded her
arms.
He poked his chin out. “Trust me. I am. I don’t see why I need to drop my pants.” He put his hands on
his hips. The stance must have seemed defiant to this towering but lean woman, who immediately planted
her hands on her hips.
“I do it to all the guys I use. Don’t get sensitive about it.” She tucked her long, curly black hair behind
her ears. “I need to see what your body looks like.”
Use? So now he was some stud-for-hire? He furrowed his eyebrows and took a step back. The
screams from the crowd in the coliseum permeated through the walls at that moment. The scene was
surreal. Part ‘Jerry Springer’ with the screams providing the soundtrack for this bizarre scenario. Part bad
porno where all he would need would be the overgrown ‘70’s moustache and the electric guitar laden
music to pipe into the small room.
Except this woman had on no makeup, and from the way she kept pushing her hair away from her face,
she probably would have been happier to have it tied back. She wore jeans, and her sneakers looked to
had been dragged down many a dirt road. The name of her company, UEW, Ultimate Extreme Wrestling,
vandalized the front of her white tee shirt in flaming red letters across her chest with the ‘U’ and the ‘W’
poked out to the side in a particularly beautiful, rounded fashion.
Not a company he thought he would be working for when he graduated from medical school fifteen years
ago. But work was work. And, as his best friend/attorney had said, right now appearances were
everything.
“If you’re not going to drop your pants and show me what you look like, then what are you doing here?”
she asked, this time taking a tentative step back.
A wrestler. She thought he was a professional wrestler trying out for the company. No wonder she wanted
to see his body.
Realizing she mistook him as a big, hulking grappler, Gray’s head swelled. To keep from smiling, he bit
the inside of his cheek. Relief waved over him as he relaxed his shoulders.
“I’m the doctor,” he said with a smile.
Now she furrowed her eyebrows. “The Doctor?” She turned to the table and retrieved a piece of paper.
“I thought your stage name was The Annihilator.”
He opened his mouth to clear up the misunderstanding then stopped. He hadn’t had a good laugh in a
while. Might as well play this for what it was worth.
“My assistant, Hobby, said you had your own costume.” She looked around him. “I don’t see your bag.
Did you bring it?”
“I left my bag in the car,” he said.
She moved closer to him, seeming pleased with the friendly gesture. “It’s about time you loosened up.
Ready to get on with this,” she glanced at the paper, “Toby? Or would you rather be called by your stage
name, The Doctor?” She set the paper on the table.
“Doctor is fine, uh…”
“Tommie Balford.” She rubbed her hand on her jeans then presented it. He was surprised by her firm
grip. She gave him three solid pumps and let go.
When Gray’s best friend, Danny Boy, gave Gray the scoop about UEW, all he’d been told was the owner’s
name was Tommie and the owner was tough. He would have to thank his buddy for not tipping him off that
Tommie was also a woman. As an attorney, Danny Boy should have known better. Gray knew nothing
about law, but he at least knew about disclosure.
“You’re Tommie Balford? I’d assumed you were a---”
“A man? I get that a lot, well, until people see me.” She smiled. Her cheerful expression lit up the dank
room. He fought back the urge to ask this rough-and-tumble but tempting goddess on a date. He’d
abandoned that playboy side of him a long time ago. But he couldn’t deny that not so gentle stirring just
below his belt that signaled to him that this woman was not a patient. But she just might be an empty-
headed gold-digger looking to land a doctor.
“And what is Tommie short for?” He wanted to know how this stunning woman owned and ran one of the
toughest professional wrestling companies in the country.
“It’s short for who gives a crap.”
That was how she ran the company, with a no-nonsense, ballsy attitude that made grown men like himself
do a double-take.
She continued. “I don’t have time for chit chat. So, are you going to drop your pants or what? I don’t
have all night.” She looked down at her watch then shook her head. “I’m missing Mo’s first match.”
Gray reached for his belt. Oohs and ahhs from the audience in the arena filtered into the small, dingy
makeshift office as though they were excited to see him too. From the way Tommie stared at his hands on
his belt, she appeared anxious to see what he had under his Dockers. She wrung her hands. Shifted her
weight from one side to the other. Had she just licked her lips?
A smile slithered over his face. Far be it for him to deny a beautiful woman pleasure.
Before snaking the brown leather belt through the buckle he stopped. What was he doing? He didn’t
have Chippendale aspirations. Even he couldn’t go this far with the joke. He had to let her off the
hook…and himself.
“Look, I should tell you something.” He lifted one hand. “You see, I---”
She stomped up to him. “Don’t tell me.” She grabbed his belt and pulled it through the clasp. “You’re
shy. You’re a born-again Christian and you don’t undress in front of a woman you’re not in love with.”
At this point she had his belt undone and was now working on his pants. Her hands worked so fast he
couldn’t stop her.
That wasn’t entirely true. He didn’t want to stop her. The rich, perfume coming from her hair hypnotized
him. He welcomed the relief from smelling the stale cigarette-and-wet dog hair stench wafting in the air.
Tommie continued. “You have a bad rash. You haven’t waxed your legs.” She looked up, capturing his
gaze. “I’ve heard that excuse more times than I care to talk about. Or my favorite.” She undid his pants
and yanked down his zipper. “You’re married. Yeah, like I do this for pleasure.”
Her clear, light blue eyes behind her glasses stunned him.
His pants fell to the floor and he stood cemented to his spot in his blue jockey boxers. Not since college,
when he’d pledged for a fraternity, had Gray been in a position like this. Thank God the air conditioning
kicked on and cooled all parts of his anatomy.
Tommie meandered around him, observing him like he was a farm horse. “Very nice,” she said from
behind him. “Good strong legs. Nice ass. The women will like that. And no scars.” She walked back
around to the front of him and pulled up the front of his white button-up shirt to the center of his chest.
She let out a long, low whistle. “What a six-pack. You must do a thousand crunches a day.”
This time he recognized her wildflower scent. Strange to imagine that this tough talking woman could
have anything soft wafting around her. He also heard a crack in her voice and saw her swallow hard. He
hoped she couldn’t feel the pounding of his heart as he watched her observing him. The goose bumps
that formed on his arms and legs threatened to uncover his cool appearance.
“I try to take care of myself.” He trembled when she touched him. She must have noticed because she
gazed into his eyes again and stepped back, letting go of his shirt.
She scanned him from head to toe. “What are you, about six-five, six-six?”
“Six-two and a half.” He wondered if by this point he could lift up his pants. But since she was the one to
jerk them down initially, maybe she would want to pull them back up too. A man could dream.
“We’ll just say six-four. By the time you put your boots on, no one will be able to tell.” She cocked her
head. “Two-fifty?”
“Two-twenty-five.”
She nodded. “Two-fifty.”
She chewed on her lower lip. Such a casualty for her thinking process. They were the fullest lips he had
ever seen. He imagined kissing them would be like nibbling on a juicy peach. Succulent, tasty, firm. He
licked his lips but could only taste the bitter iced tea he’d had before this bizarre meeting.
“So, what’s your thing?” she asked.
Gray nearly gasped at the inquiry. “Excuse me?”
“What’s your angle? What are you known for? What do you do to make an impression?” She waved her
hands in the air, punctuating each question.
“I help people. Kids really.” He’d led her on but he wouldn’t lie.
She nodded. “It’s different. But we get a lot of kids to the show. They need a hero. But with your looks, I
would’ve made you a different type of character.” She cleared her throat then averted her gaze.
Was she blushing now?
Cute.
“You’d appeal to our female fans. You could be Doctor Love.” She rubbed the back of her neck with her
hand.
“Doling out a prescription of good loving?” He wanted to play in this character creation game too.
Shaking her head, she said, “Leave the creativity to us.”
He tried.
“Or you could be a heel and portray a stupid frat boy. You’ve got that arrogant but attractive thing going
on.”
“Hey, I used to be in a fraternity.” And now he started to feel silly with his pants pooled around his ankles.
She snorted. “Figures.”
And just what had made him stupid as a fraternity guy? The all-night beer chugging games? The panty
raids at three a.m.? Posting a doctored picture of the university dean in a two-piece bikini on the school’s
website?
Yeah. Now that he thought about it, he had been kind of stupid back then. But Tommie didn’t know him to
make that assessment yet.
“Have you been approached by Slamtastics?”
Gray shook his head. He didn’t know who or what a Slamstastics was but from Tommie’s grimace, it must
have been something bordering on being the Anti-Christ.
“Sex appeal instead of raw talent seems to be the thing nowadays.” She crossed her arms over her
chest. “I could present you at the Home Invasion pay-per-view. You could do a run-in during a match,
maybe with Junior Vickers.”
It was crazy. Gray was a doctor. He’d graduated at the top of his class. Despite his current suspension
from the hospital, he was still a well-respected doctor. Yet the idea of doing a professional wrestling match
with one of his childhood idols made his insides flip flop like a fish in an empty barrel.
“I’ve never pushed an unknown like you before.” Her gaze returned to his. “Something tells me that you
could be good for our company.”
The passion in her eyes for her business slowed his heart. What was he doing? This wasn’t him. He
wasn’t down for using people for his own amusement. And it was apparent that what this woman was
looking for was a serious employee.
“The gray in your hair makes you look a little long in the tooth for a wrestler. How old are you?” She
grabbed her bottled fluorescent orange sport drink. Arguing with him must have really tapped her
electrolytes.
“Too old to be doing this.” He couldn’t go on with this deception anymore. If he was serious about killing
off the old Gray and recreating a new and improved Gray Kennebeck, he needed to take things seriously.
He reached for his pants.
“You don’t want to wrestle for me now?” She set her bottle down on the table.
“I never was going to.” He offered a pleasant smile but her scowl signaled that perhaps he’d gone too far
with this joke.
Tommie tilted her head back and let out a long sorrowful moan. “You’d think after a year of doing this I
would learn to recognize the legit guys from the crazy ones.” She turned away from him. “Hope you got
your thrill, whoever you are. You know your way out.”
Gray had blown it, blown it big time. Heat rose to his face that no amount of ice tea could extinguish. After
lifting his pants, he approached her. Counting on his soothing bedside manner, he hoped he could
smooth things over with Tommie. It wasn’t a job he wanted anyway, but he didn’t need any bad word of
mouth going around about him. Not now.
With a hand on her shoulder, he said, “I didn’t mean to---”
Tommie’s body stiffened before she jumped. “Look, I’m being nice.” Threat laced her voice. “You had
better get out of here or---”
“Or what?” Not that he was trying to stare this woman down but he wasn’t the jerk she thought he was. He
took a step closer to her, pants still held up by one hand.
The gesture triggered something in Tommie, evident by her wide-eyed almost frightened expression.
Darting to the corner of the room, she picked up a baseball bat. Doing her best imitation of Sammy Sosa,
she held it up as if she were ready to take a big swing.
“Whoa!” On instinct from treating hostile patients, Gray grabbed the top portion of the bat. “What do
you think you’re doing?”
Tommie tried pulling the weapon from his grip. “I get sick and tired of dealing with guys like you. Just
because I’m a woman you get your kicks coming in here and parading around like I’m supposed to be
impressed with your body or something.”
“Back up here. You’re making a huge mistake.” He took another tug but Tommie held the bat like a
grudge. But if he could wrestle away scalpels from drug addicts in the middle of the night in the E.R. then
he could surely get a childhood toy from this Amazon.
At least the addicts eventually gave up.
Not ready to concede, she planted her feet and continued with her tug-of-war match. “Then you all try to
jump on me like I’m some sort of barfly or easy catch. Here’s a newsflash for you, buddy. I don’t date the
talent. If you don’t get your ass out of my office right now, I’m going to give you a permanent part in your
head!” She pulled on the bat again.
“Calm down and hear me out.” With one hand still on the bat and the other holding up his pants, he
pulled the bat close to his body, drawing her to him since she wouldn’t let go.
With each of her panting heaves, he felt her chest rising and falling. That ‘U’ and ‘W’ were feeling really
good now pressed against Gray’s chest.
For a moment, the tiger-like rage in her eyes appeared to soften to a nice kitten-like expression. Good.
Maybe she would listen to reason.
Tommie swallowed uneasily while glaring. Tightening his grip on the bat, he knew if she gave another
good jerk, she would be able to secure it and give him that unwanted part. His sweaty hand had barely a
hold on the wooden weapon, but he hoped Tommie didn’t know that.
With her lips just inches from his, it would have been effortless to kiss her.
Wait! What was he thinking? This woman wanted his head on a platter.
Like she wanted to stamp out a flame, she hammered her foot on his. Pain shot through his body, from
his foot to the top of his head and back down again like one of those carnival strength test games with the
mallet and the bell at the top. With a twist of her body, Tommie took Gray off guard and finally jerked the
thick bat from his grip.
Grunting a curse, Gray dropped his pants and stumbled backward. His feet tangled in his trousers and
with a thud, he fell on a concrete floor covered by the thinnest carpet made on the planet.
He held up his hand. “You are not going to hit me.”
“Oh no?” She choked up on the bat again as she took a step closer.
Enough with playing with this woman. He had to take her down. With a sweep of his foot on the side of
Tommie’s ankle, he made her fall forward, landing on top of him and dropping her equalizer. On instinct,
Gray wrapped his arm around her tiny waist. Her hands landed on either side of his head, her face
hovering over his. What a position.
Her soft body molded against his. And this time he panted. His fingers tapped the small of her back like a
jazz trumpeter playing a solo. If he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn that the crowds in the
arena had stopped cheering. The sound of an electric sizzle, the palpable spark that flowed between
them, buzzed in his ears. Why couldn’t all job interviews end with a beautiful woman on top of him?
Tommie huffed. She wriggled her body. Big mistake. His skin tingled.
“You can do a Side Russian Leg Sweep but you’re not a wrestler.” She swept her stray hair from her
face. “Who are you then?”
Gray’s lips moved before anything came from his mouth. “I’m---”
The door swung open. On the other side stood the young man who had brought Gray to the room
earlier. He looked down at the Gray-and-Tommie sandwich on the floor.
“Okay this is new,” the young man said in a monotone voice. “If you were like this with all of our company
doctors, maybe we would manage to finally keep one.”
She broke her gaze from Gray to look at the other man. “Hobby, isn’t this---”
“I told you the new wrestler couldn’t start tonight.” Hobby walked into the room.
Swinging her legs to the other side of Gray’s body, Tommie sprang to her feet. With a brave attempt at
gaining some composure, she straightened her tee shirt and jeans and cleared her throat. She snatched
her bat from the floor then wrung her hands around it as though she wanted it to be Gray’s neck.
Hobby wore a headset and carried a clear clipboard. Even though Gray must have outweighed the thin
man by at least a hundred pounds, he accepted Hobby’s assistance to his feet. Once he stood, Gray
pulled up his pants and fastened them quickly.
“Gray Kennebeck. Dr. Gray Kennebeck at your service.” He extended his hand to her.
Instead of accepting it, she jabbed him in the stomach with her bat. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, just get
his attention and force the air out of his lungs.
She held the thicker portion of the bat in one hand and folded her arms. “You knew I thought you were a
wrestler and you let me take off your pants and touch you and---” Her words trailed off.
“I tried to tell you, but---”
“But what? Never seemed to find a good time?”
“Maybe I could have said something when you were pulling off my pants.”
“Or when you pulled me on top of you.”
Hobby handed her a black hair scrunchie, which she snatched from his hand. At least he was right about
her wanting her hair pulled back. She threw her bat onto the table and with a couple of twists, she had her
black mane secured into a tight bun. Now she completed the teacher look.
“I’m sure one day we’ll look back on this situation and laugh.” Gray decided to start at that moment with a
hearty chuckle. Her face never broke.
“How could you think this guy was a wrestler? He’s in khakis and loafers,” Hobby said, pointing to Gray’s
pants and shoes.
Gray glanced at her. “You thought I had potential, right? At one point you thought I would make a good
wrestler.” He had to lighten the mood in the tension-filled room.
“Yeah, well, the only thing I think you’re good for is the unemployment line.” She picked up her bottle
and headed to the door. Glancing at Gray before she left, she said, “Sorry you wasted a trip out here, Dr.
Kennebeck.”
# # #
After sitting in a darkened room for the last two hours, watching the remaining show on a monitor,
Tommie had to blink a few times to adjust her vision to the now blinding arena lights. She rubbed her
temples as she strolled down the ramp, heading to the ring in the empty arena. Her hard steps echoed off
the arena walls.
Taking a deep breath, she took in the remaining popcorn-beer-smoky smell into her lungs. To combat the
smell, she popped a stick of gum in her mouth, chomping on it like she was chewing on someone’s heart.
But she was sure hearts didn’t taste wintergreen fresh.
She’d broken her own rule: never let them see you sweat. That damn Dr. Kennebeck had made her
sweat, stammer and lose her cool. It was bad enough the male wrestlers thought, and said openly,
Tommie was unfit to do her job because she was a woman and because she’d never wrestled before.
Had they known wrestling was in her blood, they wouldn’t give her a hard time. Hell, they probably would
have kissed her feet if they knew her family heritage. But she wouldn’t trade off on her name and lineage.
And if anyone found out that a gorgeous face had thrown her off, she would never gain their respect. She’
d lost respect for herself being sucked in again by a frat boy.
But she’d showed that Dr. Kennebeck. Gave him his walking papers quick. No one embarrassed Tommie
Balford and got away with it, especially not some spoiled, rich kid like Gray. And if the man were standing
in front of her now, she would tell him off. If there was a next time, maybe she could manage not to let her
voice crack.
Her roadie crew laughed and joked among themselves in a group next to the ramp. They were a loyal
bunch, hanging on with the expectation that she could make this ragtag company into something great.
She couldn’t let any of her employees down. Wrestling was her life, her business. And she’d slipped out
of that thinking for a brief moment with Dr. Kennebeck.
Tommie cursed under her breath thinking about the whole situation. How could she have been so
irrational? No one had ever rattled her like that. Not even the jerks who wanted to buy her out. But one
incredible looking man, with his pants around his ankles, made her into a quivering, babbling mess. The
memories pissed her off again. As it was, she only had a new wrestler to vent her frustrations.
“Okay, hit the ropes, Mo. I want to see how you look in the ring,” Tommie demanded.
The stocky young man with blond dreadlocks nodded and ran back and forth across the mat, hurling
himself against the ropes. Tommie eyed his form, the way he caught the rope just under his arm and
which leg he jumped from on the recoil. He had a natural ability. This guy looked like a professional
wrestler.
Most of the guys she’d employed had that edgy look about them. Mohawks, tattoos, missing teeth, really
bad body odor. Cuts and bumps all over their bodies.
Gray Kennebeck was nothing like that. He was tall, had a great head of sun-kissed hair--- even if it was a
little gray at the temples---straight, white teeth, and he smelled so good that she had a hard time keeping
herself composed when she’d pulled down his pants. He smelled like a combination of soap and
expensive, musky cologne. Intoxicating.
When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she whipped her head around, thinking for a brief moment Dr.
Kennebeck had come back for round two. Instead she saw Junior Vickers. Her shoulders eased down as
she fought hard to keep from smiling.
In his baseball hat bearing the name of the company, Junior stood next to her, a twinkle in his silver-blue
eyes and a smile as long as the eastern coastline. The beard Tommie had been begging him to shave
covered his face. He appeared more ashen than she had remembered. Thanks to the August sun, Junior’
s leathery skin bronzed to an even darker shade. His skin tone almost matched hers. If she didn’t know
he was a wrestler, Tommie would have sworn he’d been through a war.
Junior brought his hands to his hips and looked at the young man in the ring running back and forth. “He
looks good.”
Tommie returned her gaze to Mo. “Yep. We were lucky to find him. Too bad I missed his match.” She
adjusted her glasses on her nose.
“Yeah, he put on a good show. Even won like a champ. Where were you?” Junior adjusted his hat.
Tommie thought of the whole office scene again. The moment the memory went to her pulling down Gray’
s pants she shook her head. “Tied up with a potential new employee. It didn’t work out.”
“Too bad. We could use more new blood.”
Tommie wondered if Junior wished they had more new talent so he could finally retire. When she’d
started UEW with Junior as her lead performer, he wasn’t getting the big matches anymore and he was
fading into pro-wrestling obscurity. He had done so much for the sport, and for the business to turn its
back on him was unacceptable. Now he was a star again.
Junior leaned down toward her. “Have I told you what a great job you’re doing?”
Tommie smirked. Smiling, as a boss, showed weakness. So why had she flashed her pearly whites at
Dr. Kennebeck in her office? At the time she couldn’t fight the impulse. Whenever the man showed off his
deep dimples, she felt compelled to respond in kind.
Tommie needed to pull herself together. She was tough as granite boss. “You don’t have to say that,”
she said.
“And you look nice today,” Junior continued.
“You definitely didn’t have to say that.” She shifted away.
“But you could use some makeup and your hair could be done up a little.”
She turned to him, her jaw clenched. “Junior!”
“What? A man can’t be proud of his daughter and still want her to look like a lady?”
Mo halted his sprint inside of the ring. Scanning the arena, Tommie wondered if he had overheard their
conversation. Even her roadies had gotten quiet.
Mo trotted to the ring ropes then leaned over them. “Want me to keep going?” he asked.
Tommie exhaled. Her heart slowed to its normal rate. “No. Take some bumps now.”
Again, he nodded and fell flat on his back, arms outstretched, palms down and head tilted upward. Mo
executed the perfect bump, but right now Tommie concentrated on her father.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, pulling him away from the ring although with the slams to
the mat, it would have been hard for her employees to hear them anyway. “Do you want all of the
wrestlers to know?”
“I don’t give a hoot who knows. You’re my kid and I’m proud of you.” He held up his fist, which was as big
as a whole chicken. “Anyone gives my little girl a hard time and I’ll knock him on his ass!”
“Dad.” She softened with his gesture. At that moment she wanted to fold right into his protective arms, a
position she hadn’t been in with him in well over twenty years. Her father was a gentle giant. Her hero.
He could have asked for the moon and she would have roped it herself.
But Junior stepped back from her. “But I know you, Tommie. You could always take care of yourself.”
He stared into the ring. “Just like your mother. She didn’t need me either.”
Tommie’s chest tightened. Him pulling away from her brought back memories of when she was a child.
Why couldn’t he give her that personal connection? Why was he always running from her?
She heard footsteps behind them and turned to see Hobby coming down the ramp. As an assistant,
Hobby was the greatest, mainly because he stayed out of Tommie’s way, and his attention to detail
surpassed even Martha Stewart’s. Being little shorter than her six-foot frame and coupled with his lithe
body, some of the wrestlers found great pleasure in teasing him. But she protected him like he was her
chick and she was a fierce eagle.
“What is it, Hobby?” Tommie stepped further away from Junior. Bad enough there was a rumor going
around that she and Junior were lovers. She had to be careful how she acted.
“Gray is still here,” Hobby said, almost out of breath.
“Who?” Junior asked.
“Dr. Kennebeck,” Hobby replied. “I asked him to stay.”
Tommie glanced over at Junior. “This is private, Junior. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Doctor? Are you sick?” Junior asked and crossed his arms.
“No. It’s nothing.” She didn’t want to tell Junior about the Sports Entertainment Commission. He would
really blow his stack over the news that the commission would close them down if they didn’t get a
company doctor. With his high blood pressure, she wanted to keep Junior relatively calm.
“Are you pregnant?” Junior asked and covered his mouth, probably to suppress a smile. She could see
him happily bouncing a grandchild on his knee.
“Junior! I’ll talk to you later.” She glared at him until he finally nodded and made his slow trek up the
ramp. Tommie pulled Hobby close to the ring.
She stopped Mo’s ring exercises and told him to hit the showers. After telling her crew to break down the
rest of the set, Tommie laid into Hobby. “Thanks for telling Junior about the doctor.”
“It’s not like we haven’t had one here before. What’s the big deal?” Hobby pulled his headset off his
ears.
He was right. She was just getting paranoid.
“Never mind.” She glanced up at the top of the ramp and saw Gray standing there, waiting, looking as
sexy as when he was in the office alone with her. “What’s Shock Doc still doing here? I told him to step.”
“I asked him to stay. No, strike that. I begged him to stay,” Hobby said and set his clipboard on the
canvas mat.
“Sorry you wasted your time.” She turned away from Gray. Even from the distance she’d seen his hazel
eyes. Like her father, he had tanned too. He looked as though the sun had bathed him all over to give
him that warm glow. He probably just went for his first session at the tanning salon. Preppy guys like him
wouldn’t know hard work if it sat in his lap.
No, he couldn’t stay. Too many problems if he did.
Looking at him now, she couldn’t believe she’d held a bat to him. Last time she had to break out Ol’
Trusty, the guy she’d interviewed lunged for her and shoved his hand up her shirt. Never would she be
that vulnerable again. But with Gray, she’d wanted to make him nervous, make him see she wasn’t a
pushover like a lot of the wrestlers thought when she’d started her company. But she would never mar a
perfect face like his.
“Look, let go of your ego and pride.” Hobby’s voice rose.
Tommie put her hands to her hips and stepped up to him. “Excuse me?”
Taking a careful step back, he repeated his statement. “I said let go of your ego.”
Hobby trembled like a wet Chihuahua. Aside from her father, the only person she didn’t like strong-
arming was Hobby. Good to see him standing tall.
“You know you need this guy. The Sports Entertainment Commission is coming back in a couple of days
to see our new doctor. Do you want them to see that we have no one and be fined and shut down so that
we don’t have our pay-per-view?” He picked up his clipboard and flipped it around. “Flyers have already
gone out for Home Invasion. You’re supposed to be cutting those spots for the cable company. And
everybody’s been working hard to prepare for the show. Get over the embarrassment. It was a
misunderstanding. Go up there and shake that guy’s hand and welcome him to UEW.”
Hobby made just as much money as the wrestlers because he made sense. She glanced up the ramp
and saw Gray looking off backstage. Even his profile was perfect. Great noble nose, chiseled jaw line,
perfect lips.
No, no, no! He had to go. He’d distracted her once. She couldn’t have him make her lose her
concentration her every time she looked up, especially a guy who probably wouldn’t take the work
seriously.
“If this guy showed up, we can find someone else,” Tommie said. Hobby dropped his head and groaned
so loud Gray turned to them.
“I’ll tell him.” She started up the ramp, taking long, deliberate steps. She didn’t know why this felt so
hard. She barely knew the guy. What did she care if she hurt his feelings? It’s not like she hadn’t fired
people before. She’d fired wrestlers when she found out they were on steroids. She’d fired her first
assistant when she kept finding her in broom closets and locker rooms with different wrestlers. She could
do this.
Aside from making her the butt of his joke, Gray hadn’t done anything wrong. If she’d been thinking, she
would have figured it out. Most wrestlers never question being asked to take off their clothes. But she
wanted to know what was underneath his Dockers. Still did.
She rubbed her eyes. As she approached Gray, Tommie kept her face straight and hard. This was
business. The best business decision was to go with someone more professional. Yep, that was it.
Before she could even get out her standard dismissal speech, Gray spoke.
“I’m sorry for what I did in your office earlier.” He sounded sincere. “I was being childish, and I wasted
your time.”
Damn. Now he picked a time to be sweet and earnest? She should have screamed that she didn’t need
him while she stood at the end of the ramp. That way she didn’t have to look into his sultry hazel eyes
again or see those perfect lips that she wanted to kiss, especially when he’d pulled her close to him in her
office.
After letting out a long breath, she said, “Dr. Kennebeck, thank you again for coming here and staying to
talk to me.”
“I hear a ‘but’ coming,” Gray said, his voice a deep growl.
She rubbed her hand up her arm to get rid of the newly formed goosebumps. “I don’t know if---”
“Junior’s down! He collapsed!” a crewmember screamed from backstage.
“Okay, take off your pants.”
Gray Kennebeck gazed hard at the woman standing behind a long card table. The cramped room
backstage in the Scope Coliseum in Norfolk, Virginia, sweltered in an unbearable summer heat. Sweat
rolled down his face, but he wasn’t about to wipe it away in front of this shark.
It was bad enough he’d been herded through the arena without so much as a ‘Thank you for bailing us out
by filling in for our regular company doctor.’ Of course they didn’t have to know he needed the job.
“Are you shy?” the woman asked, peering over the wire-rimmed eyeglasses perched at the end of her
nose. She looked too young to sport Little House on the Prairie schoolmarm specs.
“No,” Gray replied. “Never been asked to do this on a job interview.” Even in this professional wrestling
atmosphere, this was considered odd. Why would a doctor’s body be subject to inspection? Was the
work that brutal? He shivered.
“What? Did you want a song and dance?” she asked.
“Your name would be nice.”
The woman, with a succulent honey color to her skin tone, stepped around the table littered with papers
and an opened laptop, and exhaled in obvious exasperation.
“Come on, man. I don’t have all night. I was told you were good, and a professional.” She folded her
arms.
He poked his chin out. “Trust me. I am. I don’t see why I need to drop my pants.” He put his hands on
his hips. The stance must have seemed defiant to this towering but lean woman, who immediately planted
her hands on her hips.
“I do it to all the guys I use. Don’t get sensitive about it.” She tucked her long, curly black hair behind
her ears. “I need to see what your body looks like.”
Use? So now he was some stud-for-hire? He furrowed his eyebrows and took a step back. The
screams from the crowd in the coliseum permeated through the walls at that moment. The scene was
surreal. Part ‘Jerry Springer’ with the screams providing the soundtrack for this bizarre scenario. Part bad
porno where all he would need would be the overgrown ‘70’s moustache and the electric guitar laden
music to pipe into the small room.
Except this woman had on no makeup, and from the way she kept pushing her hair away from her face,
she probably would have been happier to have it tied back. She wore jeans, and her sneakers looked to
had been dragged down many a dirt road. The name of her company, UEW, Ultimate Extreme Wrestling,
vandalized the front of her white tee shirt in flaming red letters across her chest with the ‘U’ and the ‘W’
poked out to the side in a particularly beautiful, rounded fashion.
Not a company he thought he would be working for when he graduated from medical school fifteen years
ago. But work was work. And, as his best friend/attorney had said, right now appearances were
everything.
“If you’re not going to drop your pants and show me what you look like, then what are you doing here?”
she asked, this time taking a tentative step back.
A wrestler. She thought he was a professional wrestler trying out for the company. No wonder she wanted
to see his body.
Realizing she mistook him as a big, hulking grappler, Gray’s head swelled. To keep from smiling, he bit
the inside of his cheek. Relief waved over him as he relaxed his shoulders.
“I’m the doctor,” he said with a smile.
Now she furrowed her eyebrows. “The Doctor?” She turned to the table and retrieved a piece of paper.
“I thought your stage name was The Annihilator.”
He opened his mouth to clear up the misunderstanding then stopped. He hadn’t had a good laugh in a
while. Might as well play this for what it was worth.
“My assistant, Hobby, said you had your own costume.” She looked around him. “I don’t see your bag.
Did you bring it?”
“I left my bag in the car,” he said.
She moved closer to him, seeming pleased with the friendly gesture. “It’s about time you loosened up.
Ready to get on with this,” she glanced at the paper, “Toby? Or would you rather be called by your stage
name, The Doctor?” She set the paper on the table.
“Doctor is fine, uh…”
“Tommie Balford.” She rubbed her hand on her jeans then presented it. He was surprised by her firm
grip. She gave him three solid pumps and let go.
When Gray’s best friend, Danny Boy, gave Gray the scoop about UEW, all he’d been told was the owner’s
name was Tommie and the owner was tough. He would have to thank his buddy for not tipping him off that
Tommie was also a woman. As an attorney, Danny Boy should have known better. Gray knew nothing
about law, but he at least knew about disclosure.
“You’re Tommie Balford? I’d assumed you were a---”
“A man? I get that a lot, well, until people see me.” She smiled. Her cheerful expression lit up the dank
room. He fought back the urge to ask this rough-and-tumble but tempting goddess on a date. He’d
abandoned that playboy side of him a long time ago. But he couldn’t deny that not so gentle stirring just
below his belt that signaled to him that this woman was not a patient. But she just might be an empty-
headed gold-digger looking to land a doctor.
“And what is Tommie short for?” He wanted to know how this stunning woman owned and ran one of the
toughest professional wrestling companies in the country.
“It’s short for who gives a crap.”
That was how she ran the company, with a no-nonsense, ballsy attitude that made grown men like himself
do a double-take.
She continued. “I don’t have time for chit chat. So, are you going to drop your pants or what? I don’t
have all night.” She looked down at her watch then shook her head. “I’m missing Mo’s first match.”
Gray reached for his belt. Oohs and ahhs from the audience in the arena filtered into the small, dingy
makeshift office as though they were excited to see him too. From the way Tommie stared at his hands on
his belt, she appeared anxious to see what he had under his Dockers. She wrung her hands. Shifted her
weight from one side to the other. Had she just licked her lips?
A smile slithered over his face. Far be it for him to deny a beautiful woman pleasure.
Before snaking the brown leather belt through the buckle he stopped. What was he doing? He didn’t
have Chippendale aspirations. Even he couldn’t go this far with the joke. He had to let her off the
hook…and himself.
“Look, I should tell you something.” He lifted one hand. “You see, I---”
She stomped up to him. “Don’t tell me.” She grabbed his belt and pulled it through the clasp. “You’re
shy. You’re a born-again Christian and you don’t undress in front of a woman you’re not in love with.”
At this point she had his belt undone and was now working on his pants. Her hands worked so fast he
couldn’t stop her.
That wasn’t entirely true. He didn’t want to stop her. The rich, perfume coming from her hair hypnotized
him. He welcomed the relief from smelling the stale cigarette-and-wet dog hair stench wafting in the air.
Tommie continued. “You have a bad rash. You haven’t waxed your legs.” She looked up, capturing his
gaze. “I’ve heard that excuse more times than I care to talk about. Or my favorite.” She undid his pants
and yanked down his zipper. “You’re married. Yeah, like I do this for pleasure.”
Her clear, light blue eyes behind her glasses stunned him.
His pants fell to the floor and he stood cemented to his spot in his blue jockey boxers. Not since college,
when he’d pledged for a fraternity, had Gray been in a position like this. Thank God the air conditioning
kicked on and cooled all parts of his anatomy.
Tommie meandered around him, observing him like he was a farm horse. “Very nice,” she said from
behind him. “Good strong legs. Nice ass. The women will like that. And no scars.” She walked back
around to the front of him and pulled up the front of his white button-up shirt to the center of his chest.
She let out a long, low whistle. “What a six-pack. You must do a thousand crunches a day.”
This time he recognized her wildflower scent. Strange to imagine that this tough talking woman could
have anything soft wafting around her. He also heard a crack in her voice and saw her swallow hard. He
hoped she couldn’t feel the pounding of his heart as he watched her observing him. The goose bumps
that formed on his arms and legs threatened to uncover his cool appearance.
“I try to take care of myself.” He trembled when she touched him. She must have noticed because she
gazed into his eyes again and stepped back, letting go of his shirt.
She scanned him from head to toe. “What are you, about six-five, six-six?”
“Six-two and a half.” He wondered if by this point he could lift up his pants. But since she was the one to
jerk them down initially, maybe she would want to pull them back up too. A man could dream.
“We’ll just say six-four. By the time you put your boots on, no one will be able to tell.” She cocked her
head. “Two-fifty?”
“Two-twenty-five.”
She nodded. “Two-fifty.”
She chewed on her lower lip. Such a casualty for her thinking process. They were the fullest lips he had
ever seen. He imagined kissing them would be like nibbling on a juicy peach. Succulent, tasty, firm. He
licked his lips but could only taste the bitter iced tea he’d had before this bizarre meeting.
“So, what’s your thing?” she asked.
Gray nearly gasped at the inquiry. “Excuse me?”
“What’s your angle? What are you known for? What do you do to make an impression?” She waved her
hands in the air, punctuating each question.
“I help people. Kids really.” He’d led her on but he wouldn’t lie.
She nodded. “It’s different. But we get a lot of kids to the show. They need a hero. But with your looks, I
would’ve made you a different type of character.” She cleared her throat then averted her gaze.
Was she blushing now?
Cute.
“You’d appeal to our female fans. You could be Doctor Love.” She rubbed the back of her neck with her
hand.
“Doling out a prescription of good loving?” He wanted to play in this character creation game too.
Shaking her head, she said, “Leave the creativity to us.”
He tried.
“Or you could be a heel and portray a stupid frat boy. You’ve got that arrogant but attractive thing going
on.”
“Hey, I used to be in a fraternity.” And now he started to feel silly with his pants pooled around his ankles.
She snorted. “Figures.”
And just what had made him stupid as a fraternity guy? The all-night beer chugging games? The panty
raids at three a.m.? Posting a doctored picture of the university dean in a two-piece bikini on the school’s
website?
Yeah. Now that he thought about it, he had been kind of stupid back then. But Tommie didn’t know him to
make that assessment yet.
“Have you been approached by Slamtastics?”
Gray shook his head. He didn’t know who or what a Slamstastics was but from Tommie’s grimace, it must
have been something bordering on being the Anti-Christ.
“Sex appeal instead of raw talent seems to be the thing nowadays.” She crossed her arms over her
chest. “I could present you at the Home Invasion pay-per-view. You could do a run-in during a match,
maybe with Junior Vickers.”
It was crazy. Gray was a doctor. He’d graduated at the top of his class. Despite his current suspension
from the hospital, he was still a well-respected doctor. Yet the idea of doing a professional wrestling match
with one of his childhood idols made his insides flip flop like a fish in an empty barrel.
“I’ve never pushed an unknown like you before.” Her gaze returned to his. “Something tells me that you
could be good for our company.”
The passion in her eyes for her business slowed his heart. What was he doing? This wasn’t him. He
wasn’t down for using people for his own amusement. And it was apparent that what this woman was
looking for was a serious employee.
“The gray in your hair makes you look a little long in the tooth for a wrestler. How old are you?” She
grabbed her bottled fluorescent orange sport drink. Arguing with him must have really tapped her
electrolytes.
“Too old to be doing this.” He couldn’t go on with this deception anymore. If he was serious about killing
off the old Gray and recreating a new and improved Gray Kennebeck, he needed to take things seriously.
He reached for his pants.
“You don’t want to wrestle for me now?” She set her bottle down on the table.
“I never was going to.” He offered a pleasant smile but her scowl signaled that perhaps he’d gone too far
with this joke.
Tommie tilted her head back and let out a long sorrowful moan. “You’d think after a year of doing this I
would learn to recognize the legit guys from the crazy ones.” She turned away from him. “Hope you got
your thrill, whoever you are. You know your way out.”
Gray had blown it, blown it big time. Heat rose to his face that no amount of ice tea could extinguish. After
lifting his pants, he approached her. Counting on his soothing bedside manner, he hoped he could
smooth things over with Tommie. It wasn’t a job he wanted anyway, but he didn’t need any bad word of
mouth going around about him. Not now.
With a hand on her shoulder, he said, “I didn’t mean to---”
Tommie’s body stiffened before she jumped. “Look, I’m being nice.” Threat laced her voice. “You had
better get out of here or---”
“Or what?” Not that he was trying to stare this woman down but he wasn’t the jerk she thought he was. He
took a step closer to her, pants still held up by one hand.
The gesture triggered something in Tommie, evident by her wide-eyed almost frightened expression.
Darting to the corner of the room, she picked up a baseball bat. Doing her best imitation of Sammy Sosa,
she held it up as if she were ready to take a big swing.
“Whoa!” On instinct from treating hostile patients, Gray grabbed the top portion of the bat. “What do
you think you’re doing?”
Tommie tried pulling the weapon from his grip. “I get sick and tired of dealing with guys like you. Just
because I’m a woman you get your kicks coming in here and parading around like I’m supposed to be
impressed with your body or something.”
“Back up here. You’re making a huge mistake.” He took another tug but Tommie held the bat like a
grudge. But if he could wrestle away scalpels from drug addicts in the middle of the night in the E.R. then
he could surely get a childhood toy from this Amazon.
At least the addicts eventually gave up.
Not ready to concede, she planted her feet and continued with her tug-of-war match. “Then you all try to
jump on me like I’m some sort of barfly or easy catch. Here’s a newsflash for you, buddy. I don’t date the
talent. If you don’t get your ass out of my office right now, I’m going to give you a permanent part in your
head!” She pulled on the bat again.
“Calm down and hear me out.” With one hand still on the bat and the other holding up his pants, he
pulled the bat close to his body, drawing her to him since she wouldn’t let go.
With each of her panting heaves, he felt her chest rising and falling. That ‘U’ and ‘W’ were feeling really
good now pressed against Gray’s chest.
For a moment, the tiger-like rage in her eyes appeared to soften to a nice kitten-like expression. Good.
Maybe she would listen to reason.
Tommie swallowed uneasily while glaring. Tightening his grip on the bat, he knew if she gave another
good jerk, she would be able to secure it and give him that unwanted part. His sweaty hand had barely a
hold on the wooden weapon, but he hoped Tommie didn’t know that.
With her lips just inches from his, it would have been effortless to kiss her.
Wait! What was he thinking? This woman wanted his head on a platter.
Like she wanted to stamp out a flame, she hammered her foot on his. Pain shot through his body, from
his foot to the top of his head and back down again like one of those carnival strength test games with the
mallet and the bell at the top. With a twist of her body, Tommie took Gray off guard and finally jerked the
thick bat from his grip.
Grunting a curse, Gray dropped his pants and stumbled backward. His feet tangled in his trousers and
with a thud, he fell on a concrete floor covered by the thinnest carpet made on the planet.
He held up his hand. “You are not going to hit me.”
“Oh no?” She choked up on the bat again as she took a step closer.
Enough with playing with this woman. He had to take her down. With a sweep of his foot on the side of
Tommie’s ankle, he made her fall forward, landing on top of him and dropping her equalizer. On instinct,
Gray wrapped his arm around her tiny waist. Her hands landed on either side of his head, her face
hovering over his. What a position.
Her soft body molded against his. And this time he panted. His fingers tapped the small of her back like a
jazz trumpeter playing a solo. If he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn that the crowds in the
arena had stopped cheering. The sound of an electric sizzle, the palpable spark that flowed between
them, buzzed in his ears. Why couldn’t all job interviews end with a beautiful woman on top of him?
Tommie huffed. She wriggled her body. Big mistake. His skin tingled.
“You can do a Side Russian Leg Sweep but you’re not a wrestler.” She swept her stray hair from her
face. “Who are you then?”
Gray’s lips moved before anything came from his mouth. “I’m---”
The door swung open. On the other side stood the young man who had brought Gray to the room
earlier. He looked down at the Gray-and-Tommie sandwich on the floor.
“Okay this is new,” the young man said in a monotone voice. “If you were like this with all of our company
doctors, maybe we would manage to finally keep one.”
She broke her gaze from Gray to look at the other man. “Hobby, isn’t this---”
“I told you the new wrestler couldn’t start tonight.” Hobby walked into the room.
Swinging her legs to the other side of Gray’s body, Tommie sprang to her feet. With a brave attempt at
gaining some composure, she straightened her tee shirt and jeans and cleared her throat. She snatched
her bat from the floor then wrung her hands around it as though she wanted it to be Gray’s neck.
Hobby wore a headset and carried a clear clipboard. Even though Gray must have outweighed the thin
man by at least a hundred pounds, he accepted Hobby’s assistance to his feet. Once he stood, Gray
pulled up his pants and fastened them quickly.
“Gray Kennebeck. Dr. Gray Kennebeck at your service.” He extended his hand to her.
Instead of accepting it, she jabbed him in the stomach with her bat. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, just get
his attention and force the air out of his lungs.
She held the thicker portion of the bat in one hand and folded her arms. “You knew I thought you were a
wrestler and you let me take off your pants and touch you and---” Her words trailed off.
“I tried to tell you, but---”
“But what? Never seemed to find a good time?”
“Maybe I could have said something when you were pulling off my pants.”
“Or when you pulled me on top of you.”
Hobby handed her a black hair scrunchie, which she snatched from his hand. At least he was right about
her wanting her hair pulled back. She threw her bat onto the table and with a couple of twists, she had her
black mane secured into a tight bun. Now she completed the teacher look.
“I’m sure one day we’ll look back on this situation and laugh.” Gray decided to start at that moment with a
hearty chuckle. Her face never broke.
“How could you think this guy was a wrestler? He’s in khakis and loafers,” Hobby said, pointing to Gray’s
pants and shoes.
Gray glanced at her. “You thought I had potential, right? At one point you thought I would make a good
wrestler.” He had to lighten the mood in the tension-filled room.
“Yeah, well, the only thing I think you’re good for is the unemployment line.” She picked up her bottle
and headed to the door. Glancing at Gray before she left, she said, “Sorry you wasted a trip out here, Dr.
Kennebeck.”
# # #
After sitting in a darkened room for the last two hours, watching the remaining show on a monitor,
Tommie had to blink a few times to adjust her vision to the now blinding arena lights. She rubbed her
temples as she strolled down the ramp, heading to the ring in the empty arena. Her hard steps echoed off
the arena walls.
Taking a deep breath, she took in the remaining popcorn-beer-smoky smell into her lungs. To combat the
smell, she popped a stick of gum in her mouth, chomping on it like she was chewing on someone’s heart.
But she was sure hearts didn’t taste wintergreen fresh.
She’d broken her own rule: never let them see you sweat. That damn Dr. Kennebeck had made her
sweat, stammer and lose her cool. It was bad enough the male wrestlers thought, and said openly,
Tommie was unfit to do her job because she was a woman and because she’d never wrestled before.
Had they known wrestling was in her blood, they wouldn’t give her a hard time. Hell, they probably would
have kissed her feet if they knew her family heritage. But she wouldn’t trade off on her name and lineage.
And if anyone found out that a gorgeous face had thrown her off, she would never gain their respect. She’
d lost respect for herself being sucked in again by a frat boy.
But she’d showed that Dr. Kennebeck. Gave him his walking papers quick. No one embarrassed Tommie
Balford and got away with it, especially not some spoiled, rich kid like Gray. And if the man were standing
in front of her now, she would tell him off. If there was a next time, maybe she could manage not to let her
voice crack.
Her roadie crew laughed and joked among themselves in a group next to the ramp. They were a loyal
bunch, hanging on with the expectation that she could make this ragtag company into something great.
She couldn’t let any of her employees down. Wrestling was her life, her business. And she’d slipped out
of that thinking for a brief moment with Dr. Kennebeck.
Tommie cursed under her breath thinking about the whole situation. How could she have been so
irrational? No one had ever rattled her like that. Not even the jerks who wanted to buy her out. But one
incredible looking man, with his pants around his ankles, made her into a quivering, babbling mess. The
memories pissed her off again. As it was, she only had a new wrestler to vent her frustrations.
“Okay, hit the ropes, Mo. I want to see how you look in the ring,” Tommie demanded.
The stocky young man with blond dreadlocks nodded and ran back and forth across the mat, hurling
himself against the ropes. Tommie eyed his form, the way he caught the rope just under his arm and
which leg he jumped from on the recoil. He had a natural ability. This guy looked like a professional
wrestler.
Most of the guys she’d employed had that edgy look about them. Mohawks, tattoos, missing teeth, really
bad body odor. Cuts and bumps all over their bodies.
Gray Kennebeck was nothing like that. He was tall, had a great head of sun-kissed hair--- even if it was a
little gray at the temples---straight, white teeth, and he smelled so good that she had a hard time keeping
herself composed when she’d pulled down his pants. He smelled like a combination of soap and
expensive, musky cologne. Intoxicating.
When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she whipped her head around, thinking for a brief moment Dr.
Kennebeck had come back for round two. Instead she saw Junior Vickers. Her shoulders eased down as
she fought hard to keep from smiling.
In his baseball hat bearing the name of the company, Junior stood next to her, a twinkle in his silver-blue
eyes and a smile as long as the eastern coastline. The beard Tommie had been begging him to shave
covered his face. He appeared more ashen than she had remembered. Thanks to the August sun, Junior’
s leathery skin bronzed to an even darker shade. His skin tone almost matched hers. If she didn’t know
he was a wrestler, Tommie would have sworn he’d been through a war.
Junior brought his hands to his hips and looked at the young man in the ring running back and forth. “He
looks good.”
Tommie returned her gaze to Mo. “Yep. We were lucky to find him. Too bad I missed his match.” She
adjusted her glasses on her nose.
“Yeah, he put on a good show. Even won like a champ. Where were you?” Junior adjusted his hat.
Tommie thought of the whole office scene again. The moment the memory went to her pulling down Gray’
s pants she shook her head. “Tied up with a potential new employee. It didn’t work out.”
“Too bad. We could use more new blood.”
Tommie wondered if Junior wished they had more new talent so he could finally retire. When she’d
started UEW with Junior as her lead performer, he wasn’t getting the big matches anymore and he was
fading into pro-wrestling obscurity. He had done so much for the sport, and for the business to turn its
back on him was unacceptable. Now he was a star again.
Junior leaned down toward her. “Have I told you what a great job you’re doing?”
Tommie smirked. Smiling, as a boss, showed weakness. So why had she flashed her pearly whites at
Dr. Kennebeck in her office? At the time she couldn’t fight the impulse. Whenever the man showed off his
deep dimples, she felt compelled to respond in kind.
Tommie needed to pull herself together. She was tough as granite boss. “You don’t have to say that,”
she said.
“And you look nice today,” Junior continued.
“You definitely didn’t have to say that.” She shifted away.
“But you could use some makeup and your hair could be done up a little.”
She turned to him, her jaw clenched. “Junior!”
“What? A man can’t be proud of his daughter and still want her to look like a lady?”
Mo halted his sprint inside of the ring. Scanning the arena, Tommie wondered if he had overheard their
conversation. Even her roadies had gotten quiet.
Mo trotted to the ring ropes then leaned over them. “Want me to keep going?” he asked.
Tommie exhaled. Her heart slowed to its normal rate. “No. Take some bumps now.”
Again, he nodded and fell flat on his back, arms outstretched, palms down and head tilted upward. Mo
executed the perfect bump, but right now Tommie concentrated on her father.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, pulling him away from the ring although with the slams to
the mat, it would have been hard for her employees to hear them anyway. “Do you want all of the
wrestlers to know?”
“I don’t give a hoot who knows. You’re my kid and I’m proud of you.” He held up his fist, which was as big
as a whole chicken. “Anyone gives my little girl a hard time and I’ll knock him on his ass!”
“Dad.” She softened with his gesture. At that moment she wanted to fold right into his protective arms, a
position she hadn’t been in with him in well over twenty years. Her father was a gentle giant. Her hero.
He could have asked for the moon and she would have roped it herself.
But Junior stepped back from her. “But I know you, Tommie. You could always take care of yourself.”
He stared into the ring. “Just like your mother. She didn’t need me either.”
Tommie’s chest tightened. Him pulling away from her brought back memories of when she was a child.
Why couldn’t he give her that personal connection? Why was he always running from her?
She heard footsteps behind them and turned to see Hobby coming down the ramp. As an assistant,
Hobby was the greatest, mainly because he stayed out of Tommie’s way, and his attention to detail
surpassed even Martha Stewart’s. Being little shorter than her six-foot frame and coupled with his lithe
body, some of the wrestlers found great pleasure in teasing him. But she protected him like he was her
chick and she was a fierce eagle.
“What is it, Hobby?” Tommie stepped further away from Junior. Bad enough there was a rumor going
around that she and Junior were lovers. She had to be careful how she acted.
“Gray is still here,” Hobby said, almost out of breath.
“Who?” Junior asked.
“Dr. Kennebeck,” Hobby replied. “I asked him to stay.”
Tommie glanced over at Junior. “This is private, Junior. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Doctor? Are you sick?” Junior asked and crossed his arms.
“No. It’s nothing.” She didn’t want to tell Junior about the Sports Entertainment Commission. He would
really blow his stack over the news that the commission would close them down if they didn’t get a
company doctor. With his high blood pressure, she wanted to keep Junior relatively calm.
“Are you pregnant?” Junior asked and covered his mouth, probably to suppress a smile. She could see
him happily bouncing a grandchild on his knee.
“Junior! I’ll talk to you later.” She glared at him until he finally nodded and made his slow trek up the
ramp. Tommie pulled Hobby close to the ring.
She stopped Mo’s ring exercises and told him to hit the showers. After telling her crew to break down the
rest of the set, Tommie laid into Hobby. “Thanks for telling Junior about the doctor.”
“It’s not like we haven’t had one here before. What’s the big deal?” Hobby pulled his headset off his
ears.
He was right. She was just getting paranoid.
“Never mind.” She glanced up at the top of the ramp and saw Gray standing there, waiting, looking as
sexy as when he was in the office alone with her. “What’s Shock Doc still doing here? I told him to step.”
“I asked him to stay. No, strike that. I begged him to stay,” Hobby said and set his clipboard on the
canvas mat.
“Sorry you wasted your time.” She turned away from Gray. Even from the distance she’d seen his hazel
eyes. Like her father, he had tanned too. He looked as though the sun had bathed him all over to give
him that warm glow. He probably just went for his first session at the tanning salon. Preppy guys like him
wouldn’t know hard work if it sat in his lap.
No, he couldn’t stay. Too many problems if he did.
Looking at him now, she couldn’t believe she’d held a bat to him. Last time she had to break out Ol’
Trusty, the guy she’d interviewed lunged for her and shoved his hand up her shirt. Never would she be
that vulnerable again. But with Gray, she’d wanted to make him nervous, make him see she wasn’t a
pushover like a lot of the wrestlers thought when she’d started her company. But she would never mar a
perfect face like his.
“Look, let go of your ego and pride.” Hobby’s voice rose.
Tommie put her hands to her hips and stepped up to him. “Excuse me?”
Taking a careful step back, he repeated his statement. “I said let go of your ego.”
Hobby trembled like a wet Chihuahua. Aside from her father, the only person she didn’t like strong-
arming was Hobby. Good to see him standing tall.
“You know you need this guy. The Sports Entertainment Commission is coming back in a couple of days
to see our new doctor. Do you want them to see that we have no one and be fined and shut down so that
we don’t have our pay-per-view?” He picked up his clipboard and flipped it around. “Flyers have already
gone out for Home Invasion. You’re supposed to be cutting those spots for the cable company. And
everybody’s been working hard to prepare for the show. Get over the embarrassment. It was a
misunderstanding. Go up there and shake that guy’s hand and welcome him to UEW.”
Hobby made just as much money as the wrestlers because he made sense. She glanced up the ramp
and saw Gray looking off backstage. Even his profile was perfect. Great noble nose, chiseled jaw line,
perfect lips.
No, no, no! He had to go. He’d distracted her once. She couldn’t have him make her lose her
concentration her every time she looked up, especially a guy who probably wouldn’t take the work
seriously.
“If this guy showed up, we can find someone else,” Tommie said. Hobby dropped his head and groaned
so loud Gray turned to them.
“I’ll tell him.” She started up the ramp, taking long, deliberate steps. She didn’t know why this felt so
hard. She barely knew the guy. What did she care if she hurt his feelings? It’s not like she hadn’t fired
people before. She’d fired wrestlers when she found out they were on steroids. She’d fired her first
assistant when she kept finding her in broom closets and locker rooms with different wrestlers. She could
do this.
Aside from making her the butt of his joke, Gray hadn’t done anything wrong. If she’d been thinking, she
would have figured it out. Most wrestlers never question being asked to take off their clothes. But she
wanted to know what was underneath his Dockers. Still did.
She rubbed her eyes. As she approached Gray, Tommie kept her face straight and hard. This was
business. The best business decision was to go with someone more professional. Yep, that was it.
Before she could even get out her standard dismissal speech, Gray spoke.
“I’m sorry for what I did in your office earlier.” He sounded sincere. “I was being childish, and I wasted
your time.”
Damn. Now he picked a time to be sweet and earnest? She should have screamed that she didn’t need
him while she stood at the end of the ramp. That way she didn’t have to look into his sultry hazel eyes
again or see those perfect lips that she wanted to kiss, especially when he’d pulled her close to him in her
office.
After letting out a long breath, she said, “Dr. Kennebeck, thank you again for coming here and staying to
talk to me.”
“I hear a ‘but’ coming,” Gray said, his voice a deep growl.
She rubbed her hand up her arm to get rid of the newly formed goosebumps. “I don’t know if---”
“Junior’s down! He collapsed!” a crewmember screamed from backstage.