Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1) (11 page)

Emma's theme song played again while Aaron took her hand and helped her out of the ring. She chatted with him as they walked back up the ramp and into the backstage area.

“You were amazing!” Harry scooped her up and twirled her around before he set her back on her feet.

“I thought I might lose my nerve there for a minute, but once the adrenalin started pumping, it was like ruling the boardroom.” Emma took a few more deep breaths as she came down from her high.

“Break time is over,” Aaron said as he placed his hand on the small of Emma's back. “I need to talk with you and Bobby off camera for a moment.”

Just when she thought she had calmed down, her nerves shot back up.

Emma turned her head to see Rob and Chance approach them. Aaron stepped aside and took a minute to talk to Troy about how he needed a few minutes alone with Emma and Rob.

“Smokin' hot intro, Miss MacLean. Shocked the hell out of this one.” Chance hit Rob hard on the back.

“Thanks, Chance.” She caught Rob staring at her with a slight upward curve of his lips. “I think Aaron needs to steal the two of us away for a minute.”

Emma's usual cameraman had his camera pointed downward and was not recording. Rob leaned in to whisper in Emma's ear. “You owe me dinner.”

She nodded with her own small smile when Aaron came up behind her.

“I've got the two of you for ten minutes off camera, then back to business.” Aaron led the two of them into a lounge area they used to film backstage interviews throughout the broadcast.

“Emma, we've discussed how this is going to go this evening, but this is all a surprise to Rob.”

“You can say that again.” Rob plopped down on the leather couch behind him.

“Sorry,” Aaron told Rob. “Keeping Emma's new position a secret was a necessity for her as much as for the organization.” He motioned for Emma to take a seat next to Rob. “When I realized the two of you already knew each other, I thought this would work to our advantage.”

Emma smoothed her skirt out beneath her and sat next to Rob.

“While the reaction Emma received here by the crowd in Boston was positive, many of Bobby's fans might not be as happy.” Aaron paced back and forth in front of them.

“What is the next step?” Rob asked Aaron before he glanced to his side for a peek at Emma.

Emma was about to speak up and tell Rob about the plan they’d worked on when Aaron stopped pacing and spoke first.

“I want the two of you to be the next power couple of the IWA.”

“A what?” Emma squeaked. “We never discussed this.”

Aaron's smile grew wide at the shock evident on Emma's face. “Don't worry, Emma. I think this new direction will work to our advantage.”

Emma sat back, crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at Aaron.

“There's my feisty girl. Don't worry, we won't be going too off course at first.” Aaron laughed and sat down in the chair across from the couch.

“Why don't you let me in on this new plan of yours.” Rob seemed eager to hear Aaron's new plan.

“While I still want to pit the two of you against each other at first, after I saw Bobby's reaction when you entered, I think the fans could tell there was an attraction there. This can work for us. Bobby's internal struggle losing the job the fans wanted for him to a woman he's insanely attracted to.”

Rob smiled and nodded. “He's not too off base there.”

Emma shook her head at Rob's comment, but the smile never left her face. “Fine, he's conflicted and I'm only interested in doing my job. And?”

“I have a few more ideas, but not much we can openly discuss until Emma's full-time filming ends.” Aaron glanced at his watch and saw their time was almost up. “I'll give you two a few minutes to talk alone. I'll see you both after the main event.” Aaron went out the door and closed it behind him.

“Oh, hell.” Emma dropped her head on the back of the couch. “I can't believe he's doing this. Flirt on camera? Perhaps, but I don’t think I can handle any PDA’s.” The thought of being somewhat intimate on camera terrified her more than wrestling did.

“Emma, look at me.” Rob took her hand and pulled her closer to him.

Emma gave him her attention, but her concentration wavered after a few seconds of staring into his brilliant blue eyes.

“This can work for us.” He cupped her cheek and continued to gaze into her eyes.

Emma had already made up her mind. If Rob still wanted her after the announcement was made, she would go for it. One big problem still needed to be addressed.

“My last day of filming
Hunt for Life
is in three weeks in Los Angeles. The press will be going crazy after tonight. Adding a real relationship to the mix will be pandemonium. If we can keep the IWA side of us front and center until then . . .”

“Yeah?” He scooted over a little closer.

She placed her hand on his chest, slipping her fingertips across the silk tie he was wearing around his neck. “Yeah.”

At the moment before a first kiss, a few things usually occur. Each person may experience a shortness of breath, increased heart rate, and even sweaty palms. When Emma found herself at the moment with Rob’s lips mere millimeters away from hers, none of the usual chaos surfaced. Her body was enveloped in warmth and completely at ease.

When their lips touched for the first time, her stomach flipped at the feeling of fire flowing throughout her body. She moved her hand from where she’d gripped his tie to the back of his neck and felt the hairs at his nape stand on end. A moaned escaped her when his tongue pressed against the seam of her lips. She opened them to him for what seemed like mere seconds before the roar of the crowd in the arena alerted them time was short.

“Fuck,” he whispered as he touched his forehead to hers. “I don't think I can hold back with you kissing me like that.”

“You've waited twelve years.”

“Twelve years too many. I should have kissed you when I had the chance.”

“You understand why I didn't let you.” Emma moved away from him and stood. “Soon, I won't stop you.” She walked over and opened the door. With another flip of her switch, she was off to make her first official night with the IWA a success.

“Emma MacLean,” Emma answered her cell phone in the midst of the chaos of her first night on the job.

“Well, well, if it isn't the first lady of wrestling.”

“Garrett Green. You watching the show?” Emma asked as she walked through the back halls of the arena.

“Yes, ma'am. Can I get an exclusive?”

The screen playing the broadcast told Emma she needed to get to the backstage area in time to go out for the main event.

“Call me about nine tomorrow morning and I can give you a phone interview. I'm sorry, my schedule is booked until the end of the week.” She hustled her way, her heels clicking as she sped up.

“No problem, Gorgeous.”

She ended the call and got to her spot in time to hear Rob's voice as he began a pre-match rant.

Rob had changed from his suit to his fighting gear, a pair of dark blue grappling shorts with matching kneepads and boots with no shirt.

He took the microphone and began what would become the start of his fake feud with Emma.

“I've heard all night long how the new direction Miss MacLean has us going in is going to change the face of the IWA. What you haven't seen is the direction I can take us, starting with canceling this ridiculous tag team match.” The crowd begins to boo and shout their disapproval. “There is a reason I have not competed in a tag team match for over a year. No offense, Chance.” He smacked Chance on the chest. “I am a singles competitor and should be competing in a number one contender match for the heavyweight title.”

As planned, Emma's music began to play and she sauntered toward the ring.

Rob struggled to keep his mask in place. The sight of her long, tanned legs brought images of them wrapped around his waist. The sway of her hips made him think of running his fingertips across the soft skin there. The bounce of her ponytail had his fingers itching to wrap the silky strands around his hand while he . . .

Rocked back into the moment, Rob composed himself when Emma dipped between the ropes and entered the ring. With her own microphone in hand, Emma straightened and began her retaliation speech.

“Mr. Breyer.” She sized him up with an authoritative air. “I watched you over the last year in match after match. Some you've won and others you lost. The one thing I noticed specifically is your confidence. Some might call you overconfident. I would call you arrogant.” Emma smiled while she got hoots and hollers of approval from the crowd. “This match tonight is to remind you this organization is not based on one member’s success, but on the team of talented individuals. Therefore, your match will begin with Chance in the ring so you can't attempt to dominate this match. Give your partner a chance and work together if you want to succeed tonight.”

With a turn of her head and the swish of her hips, she exited the ring and walked over to the commentator's table to take a seat. With a flick of her wrist, Emma signaled the bell to begin the match.

“Bobby, get your head in the game and get the hell out of the ring,” Chance whisper yelled and pushed Rob into the corner.

“Right.” He leered at the advancing Vertolli brother. “Good luck.” Rob ducked between the ropes before Chance took on their opponent.

Chance danced around ring for a few seconds before one of the brothers attacked. A bounce off the ropes, a shove into the corner, and a well-placed kick to the chest and Chance dominated the match. An attempted pin by Chance was thwarted and Rob was tagged in. Switched into fight mode, Rob went after the bigger Vertolli.

Getting the edge over the brothers wasn't as easy as Rob had thought. He eventually had to tag Chance back in and was surprised when Chance got the pin within a minute, winning them the match.

The referee lifted Chance and Rob's arms while the announcer declared their victory.

Rob peeked over to the commentator's table and saw the smile on Emma's face. He let a smirk of his own cross his lips before he played up the victory with Chance for their fans.

“Right on time,” Rob mumbled at his ringing cell phone. Exactly one hour after winning his first tag team match in over a year, his father called to give his opinion of the night's events. “Hello, Dad.”

“Bobby.”

Rob cringed. He had gotten used to the fans calling him Bobby over the years, but his friends and family had always called him Rob, except his father. To Robert Breyer Senior, he would always be little Bobby.

“What did you think of the match tonight?”

“Horseshit!”

Rob rolled his eyes and sat down on a bench beside the bus transporting the wrestlers to the airport. “Tell me how you really feel, Dad.”

“You should be in a heavyweight contender match, not Cosmo. You've won twelve more matches than he has in the past year.”

“Dad, this is the direction Aaron wants to go. On camera, I might not be happy, but I think Chance and I are a good team. We can earn those tag team belts.”

“You told her tonight, you are a singles competitor. The woman needs to get a few facts straight. First she takes your job, now she is making you compete with Chance,” Robert Senior huffed. “He has a long way to go before he can even come close to your skill.”