Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1) (12 page)

“Dad, I've got to get going. We're loading up to go to the airport.”

“Buffalo tomorrow, right?”

Rob shook his head once again. His dad knew Rob's schedule almost better than he did. “Yes. I'll be back in Boston on Wednesday.”

“Your mother's birthday is coming up. She would love for you to make a visit.”

A visit to Baltimore was not on his top ten list of things to do anytime soon. The trip would be for his mother, though. Despite her poor taste in men, Rob loved his mother dearly. The thought brought Emma to his mind. How was she handling her own loss?

“I'll see what I can do. Tell her I'll call her soon.”

“Safe trip, Son.” The call disconnected.

“Your dad pissed?” Chance asked as he plopped down next to Rob on the bench.

“Yeah.”

“Fuck him. He can't control you anymore and it's killing him. We were on fire tonight. Don't think I didn't see you giving the side eye to our new GM. What's going to happen there?”

One side of Rob's mouth curled upward. “Time will tell.”

The flight to Buffalo was only a little under two hours, but for Emma every moment counted. She had so much she needed to do before her head hit the pillow at one of Buffalo's finest hotels.

“Here are tonight's numbers from the broadcast. The arena numbers aren’t in, but they usually take a day or so to get the information.” Emma's new assistant, Kelly Merchant, rattled off and handed her a tablet programmed with the schedule of her new life.

“Thank you, Kelly. These first few weeks will be an adjustment, but I think working together will help me get the hang of everything pretty fast.”

Kelly let out a sigh of relief and sunk back into her seat. “I'm glad I still have a job. When Mr. Sharp was fired, I was sure I'd be next.”

Emma had been given glowing reviews on Kelly's work since Kelly had joined the company two years earlier. “Why would you think that?”

“Sharp was always making threats. It was implied more than once, if he went down, I'd be going with him.”

Emma sensed there was more to the story, but decided not to push. Her own experience with Curtis Sharp made her realize he was as much of a prick to Kelly as he was to everyone else.

“If you can help me get through this before we land, there is no way I'll be able to go on without you.”

Kelly released a short laugh and went through the Monday night ritual with her new boss.

After the pilot announced they needed to fasten their seatbelts in preparation for descent, Kelly and Emma had their report finalized and ready to send.

“What a crash course. Last time I crammed like that was when I worked on my Master's.” Emma pinched the bridge of her nose after she removed her glasses.

“You'll have the IWA turned around in no time.” Kelly took Emma's hand and squeezed.

Emma's heart flipped a bit at Kelly's kind words. It had been so long since any female colleague had offered her any good words. Irene never gave her an ounce of praise. In Emma's mind, Irene’s actions were out of jealousy. It didn't mean the lack of acknowledgment didn't sting.

“Thanks, Kelly. I don’t have the best record with female co-workers.”

“Ha. Irene Hunt was a bitch. She treated you like trash for no reason except you were doing your job better than she did hers.”

The cameras were off at the moment, but Emma still didn't want to say anything to condemn Irene. “She has her faults. I'm sure with me gone, things will get better. She needs to realize Terrance loves her.”

“Wow, I would never stand up for someone who fired me. You're too nice.”

“Not nice, just . . . I know her game and I played with her for a long time. She needs to move on and so do I. Hopefully after a good eight hours of sleep.”

They both laughed right before the plane touched down on the runway.

After the plane taxied to the terminal, Kelly and Emma gathered their things. Emma felt a hand on her shoulder as she slipped her new tablet into her messenger bag.

She turned to find Rob in the aisle. “Hey.”

“I was wondering if you had a second before the cameras come back on?”

“Sure.” She excused herself from Kelly and made her way to a deserted galley area where they would be able to talk in private for a moment.

“Tonight went well,” Rob stated. He took her hand in his and backed her into the corner of the galley.

A jolt of adrenaline shot through her veins with his touch. “All as planned, I guess. How do you feel about you and Chance?”

“We've always worked well together. I don't think there will be a problem there.” His fingertips caressed up and down her arm bringing goose bumps to the surface of her skin.

“But?” she whispered. She had a feeling he wouldn't pull her aside to talk about his performance in the ring.

“My father called me.”

Images of Robert Breyer Senior flooded her mind. He was one of the greatest wrestlers of his time. He was also the biggest SOB in the business. She had seen his attitude toward Rob first hand when he won the national tournament back in high school. While Emma and Derek's own parents praised him on how well he did despite his loss, Robert Senior dressed down Rob on all the mistakes he made. The scene was difficult to view and even more disheartening to see one of her idols fall.

“I guess he's not too happy.”

“My dad is never, what I would call, happy.” Rob's eyes closed and his fingers threaded through hers.

She squeezed his hand to get his attention and he opened his brilliant blue eyes. “This isn't about him. This is your life and your career. You are an amazing athlete and, as far as I can tell, a pretty wonderful guy. You've been out of his shadow for a long time, maybe he doesn't want you to be.”

Rob seemed dazed by her words. A look of complete awe crossed his face. Emma began to return his smile when his lips were suddenly on hers. Her base instincts took over and she moved her fingers to grip the hair at the nape of his neck.

He pushed her further into the corner while her tongue slipped into his mouth. His length hardened against her stomach and a low moan escaped her lips.

His hand on her cheek triggered her to slow her kisses down. A few more soft pecks were traded while his thumb rubbed underneath her eye.

“Three weeks and you are mine for a whole two days.”

“What?” She pushed him back a bit to get a look at him.

“You promised me a date and we have years of catching up to do. Once the cameras are off, you and I are going to disappear for a few days to get reacquainted.”

She gulped. Sex. He meant sex and lots of it. No man had tended to her in over a year. With what Rob pressed against her pelvis, she imagined him to have a lot of skill. The way his muscles moved while he stocked around the ring would be nothing compared to how they would feel beneath her fingertips as he moved inside of her.

“It's a date.” God help her, the experience would probably be the best date of her life.

Four hours of sleep wasn't enough for Emma. After a large yawn, she gulped down her room service coffee. Time to switch on the public persona and get her interview with Garrett Green out of the way.

After she downed half of another cup and felt human again, her phone rang with Garrett's ringtone.

“Morning, Garrett,” Emma answered with a chipper tone.

“Hello, Miss Boo. You ready to give me the dirty?”

Emma let out a genuine laugh. One thing Garrett was always good for.

“I'm ready, Mr. Green, whenever you are.”

A few more formalities and they were ready to go live.

“The biggest surprise in IWA history has been the bomb Aaron Russell dropped last night on Monday Night Mayhem. No one expected America's favorite huntress to become the new general manager, especially not the apparent heir apparent Bobby Breyer. I, for one, want to get the scoop from my favorite nerdy girl, Emma MacLean. Morning, Emma.”

“Good morning, Garrett,” Emma replied in her best sing-song voice.

“You've had an interesting night. Why all the secrecy? Who knew you were joining the IWA?”

“Only three people in the organization. The secrecy was Aaron's idea.”

“The announcement came as quite a shock to a lot of people. No one more than the Baltimore Bruiser, Bobby Breyer. There are rumors flying around about Bobby's reaction. Did the Baltimore Bruiser know he was losing out on the job to a woman?”

“Mr. Breyer was informed of my position with the IWA when I walked out into the arena last night.”

“Strange how Breyer's initial reaction was more shock than anger. You would think the moment he realized he lost the job to you, he would have been stomping around the ring.”

Emma held back a laugh. “You can speculate all you want Garrett, but the only person who can tell you what he was feeling is Bobby Breyer.”

“Can you score me an interview?”

Emma let the laugh go. “I'll see what I can do.”

“An inside source said you, Aaron Russell, and Bobby Breyer disappeared from the cameras for over ten minutes for a private pow-wow. Any comment on what needed to be discussed off camera?”

Emma blushed as she thought of those ten minutes and her first kiss with Rob. Then she remembered their second kiss on the plane and how she was ready for a third, fourth, and fifth as soon as possible.

“Emma?”

“Yes, sorry. Mr. Russell wanted to discuss a few details in private with Mr. Breyer. I wanted to make sure both of us would get on the same page. After the events later in the evening, you can assume we are nowhere close to an agreement about the future of the IWA.”

“But he won his tag team match. He and Chance move on to the semi-finals. Shouldn't he be happy?”

Emma remembered how she had decided to answer the question when she and Aaron had gone through a barrage of possible inquiries the weekend before.

“I believe Mr. Breyer won’t be content with only one win. Now he will be able to show the IWA fans he is a team player as well as a leader.”

“One last question.”

“Only one?” Emma quipped.

“The last look between you and Breyer is being analyzed frame by frame all over the internet. Fans are saying there is some definite sexual tension between the two of you. Care to comment?”

Damn, she thought she let the mask slip a bit in those last moments. Obviously, Aaron's power couple idea wasn't going to be hard to sell.

“Tension, yes. Sexual, no,” she answered in a confident tone.

“Oh, come on, Emma. We've been watching both of you for years and neither of you has ever seemed so sexually frustrated.”

“I'm sorry, but from my side of the fence, it was a little bit of joy. I was right. Breyer is a hell of a wrestler, but together with Robicheaux, they would be unstoppable.”

“But—”

“Nope, sorry. I have things to do and people to see in Buffalo today.”

“Good luck on your first official full day, Miss MacLean. I
will
be talking to you soon.”

They wrapped up the interview and Emma ended the call. She turned to see her ever-present camera crew and realized stripping and jumping back in bed wasn't an option. Buffalo awaited her and she couldn't afford to disappoint.

“It’s your show. Go get ‘em,” Aaron encouraged Emma.