Perfect Match (4 page)

“Then be prepared to like me a lot!” She
gushed taking another delicious bite of her dessert.

After they had finished their pie, they
didn’t move; as if they could. They talked for nearly an hour, but
it was getting late and, as much as he hated to, he had to get her
home. He liked her…a lot. He didn’t want the night to end, but knew
he was going to go out with her again. The problem was he didn’t
know when. He had a show the next few nights, so it had to be on
Monday when he actually got a chance to take her out. He decided to
wait until she was ready to go in for the night to bring that
up.

He was glad to see that she only lived a few
miles from where the arena was. He pulled up in her driveway and,
before he said anything to her, she blindsided him with another
incredible kiss. The woman took his breath away. She gently pressed
her lips to his and, this time, she opened her mouth to let her
tongue playfully tease his lips. He opened his mouth as she let out
a soft, arousing moan. His tongue met with hers and he was a goner.
There was no doubt about how attracted they were to each other and
these kisses were just the beginning. She had the sweetest tasting
lips, like sugar and berries. He leaned in closer to her, wrapping
her in his arms. He nuzzled on her neck for a glorious moment,
before gliding back up.

He reached her lips again, kissing her mouth
for a long time. He was getting lost in her kisses. Time meant
nothing at the moment.

Her lips moved from his and she started to
kiss his neck, while her hands were on his chest. He liked her
touch. It was soft, almost timid at first, then she would get more
bold, clutching his t-shirt in her hands. He knew this could get
out of control and he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, but
this felt too damn good to stop. So, his mouth found hers again.
She let out a soft moan that went straight to his core. He knew he
had to call it a night when he felt his jeans get tighter.

“You must think that I am insane,” she said
when they finally broke the kiss.

He chuckled, “Insane, no. Extremely sexy,
yes,” He couldn’t resist another quick kiss. “But, I think that we
should call it a night, before we get too carried away.”

“It’s easy to do.” She brushed her hair back
from her eyes. “Jackson, this has been one perfect night.”

“I completely agree. I can’t wait to see you
again.” Jackson softly touched her cheek. “I work the next few
nights, so I don’t have an evening free until Monday. How about I
pick you up Monday night at 6, for our first official date?”

“Not until Monday?” She pretended to pout.
“What are you, a doctor?”

“Nice try. You’ll find out on Monday, Scout,”
he said emphasizing his nickname for her.

“If I must wait, I will.”

“Me too.” He leaned in for one last kiss.
“Monday, Scout. I’ll tell you all on Monday. Don‘t forget, you tell
me your name on Monday too.”

“Oh, just you wait!” She gave him the sexiest
smile he had ever seen. It was going to stay with him until he saw
her again on Monday.

Later that night, Noelle lay in bed, thinking
about how great her evening had been and how much she liked
Jackson. She tried to remember the last time she felt so bubbly
over a guy, but failed. She had never felt like this with a guy;
not even with the one before him. But, even more amazing than that,
she felt so safe with him. It had been too long since she felt safe
with a guy. That was something only her sister would
understand.

She finally remembered Chelsey and her
warning to her and smiled. She was probably waiting for her call,
like a father waited for his daughter to get home from a first
date. She reached for her phone next to her to send a text to
Chelsey.

We went to Jimbo’s for the best dessert ever!
I like him. Goodnight.

CHAPTER TWO

Pulling up to the arena, Noelle found herself
smiling. This was the beginning of the next chapter in her life.
One that she had been looking forward to for some time now. She was
still wearing that smile, even as she pulled into her parking spot
after being directed where to go by the parking lot security
attendants. She wondered if everyone was as happy as she was to be
starting a new job.

As she put her car in park, she looked over
toward the crowd of fans waiting at the gate. They all looked
toward her car, wondering if she were one of their idols. It was a
chilly and rainy day for the beginning of October, and she realized
that some of those fans were probably out there waiting for hours,
hoping for a glimpse of their favorites. She saw them looking at
her, wondering who she was. She smiled and wished that she could
help them. She also wished that all the wrestlers made a point to
go talk to the fans especially hardcore fans such as these, who
wait in the rain to see them.

She reached for her purse and started to head
inside the arena. She couldn’t wait to start her new job as BRAWL‘s
physical therapist. She had spoken to her Pop and knew that today
was just going to be the basics, meeting the staff, learning the
equipment and rooms, etc. It was a practice show tonight. The live
taping would be tomorrow, so she so was going to see first hand
what that was like.

She was excited to see her Pop and share this
huge new experience with him. Things were really looking up for her
in life. She met a great guy and was

going to go out with him tonight, and her
dream job started today. It suddenly occurred to her, as she was
walking towards the “talent” entrance, that landing this job may
have been the good luck charm she had heard about.

The security guard interrupted her thoughts
by asking her who she was here to see. She smiled and said,
“Actually, I work here now. Noelle Reid.”

The guard checked his list. He shook his
head, confirming her suspicions, and picked up the phone to do some
inquiring. As she waited, Noelle looked around to see if she saw
anyone she knew. She was nervous about meeting all the people, but
with her Pop there, she knew she was going to be fine. She had a
feeling that she would know more people than she realized. That
made it a bit more comforting. She grew up around a bunch of these
guys, and knew a lot of the newer guys from her Pop’s wrestling
school. She was so excited to get this job. “Okay, thanks,” the
guard said into the phone, before turning to Noelle. “Go on back.
Joe is expecting you and should be back there somewhere. Wait, are
you related to Larry?”

Noelle smiled and knew this was coming and
she’d get this a lot, so she smiled and said, “Yes. I’m his
daughter.“

“He did mention that his daughter is going to
be working here, but he didn‘t mention you‘d be starting
today.”

“He doesn’t know that I am starting today.
I’m about to surprise him.”

“Cool! Go right on in. I’m sure he’s back
there somewhere, as well.”

It had been a long time since she had gone to
see Pop at a show. She saw a bunch of people from the talent, road
crew, catering, and even janitors. She hoped to see a face she
recognized, but no such luck. She walked into the dining area and
noticed that the tables were set up in a way that reminded her of
the cafeteria at school. The food smelled fantastic, though, so she
knew it wasn’t the school cafeteria. She couldn’t make out anything
specific, but the aromas mixed together nicely.

She heard someone call her name and she
turned to see Jerry Blake, a good friend of her father’s come up to
her. “Jerry, hi.”

“I thought that was you.” He gave her a hug.
Noelle couldn’t help but notice the looks she was getting from some
of the people at the tables, they were definitely curious about
her. But she was surprised by the whistling she heard. She took
pride in her appearance, and always dressed in fashion. She had her
hair done and makeup applied, but she couldn’t compete with the
women here. So, she was sure she was mistaken about the whistles
she heard. “What are you doing here? Does your Pop know? He didn’t
say anything.”

“I am starting my new job today, Jerry. He
doesn’t know I’m here. Do you know where he is?”

“I’ll get him. Have a seat. Help yourself to
some food.”

Jackson was at the table with his buddy, Mike
Campbell. Finishing off a huge plate of food, he told Mike a bit
about Scout. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since
Friday night, and, since he considered Mike one of his best
buddies, he wanted to tell him about her.

Mike was a lot like Chad in the sense that he
wasn’t after a serious relationship, so he expected Mike to not
quite “get” the excitement Jackson had over meeting her, but he
wouldn’t let it get him down. After he shared the details with Mike
that he wanted, he started to read up on his fitness magazines. As
always, Mike was sending text messages to everyone he knew, but it
didn’t bother Jackson. This was what they always did before
practice for the live show. They’d eat and relax, each in their own
way. They both looked up when they heard whistling.

“Who’s that?” Mike asked.

Jackson took a closer look. There was a small
built brunette talking to Jerry. He couldn’t make out who it was at
first. All he could tell was whoever she was she had long, shiny
brown hair. She turned when Jerry left her side. He smiled when he
saw her face. He took a closer look. It couldn’t be, could it?
“It’s Scout.”

“Who?”

Jackson rolled his eyes, “Thanks for
listening, Man. It’s my girl from Friday night.”

“Whoa! What the hell is she doing here? That
is a little scary if you ask me.”

“I’m about to find out,” Jackson said and
walked over to her. True, it was a bit weird that she was here, but
he was more curious as to why she was here. “Looks like you’re
lost,” he said as he stood behind her.

She turned around quickly and, instead of
looking happy to see him as he had hoped, she looked confused,
scared almost. “Jackson!” She just stood there looking at him. Her
expression was beginning to worry him. She now looked disappointed
and scared.

“I can’t believe this! How did you find me?
What are you doing here?” He reached for her hand, but she just
stood there staring at him with that look on her face. “Hey, what’s
wrong?”

“I’m working here now, today is my first
day.”

Now he understood why she didn’t seem happy
to see him. She was worried about them working together and dating.
He actually thought it was great news. “It’s okay. Honest. There
are no rules against workplace dating. Actually, that is pretty
much the norm here. Don’t stress it. It’s just no fun for me,
keeping you in the dark about what I do for a living.”

Noelle couldn’t speak. She felt sick. Of
course he was a wrestler! How could he not be, with a body like
that? She had been around wrestlers her whole life! How could she
not have been able to put it together? Oh my God, she was all over
him the other night! Her father! He worked here too! He could never
find out. Knowing Pop, she was sure all the guys knew of his stern
warning to stay away from his daughter. She hoped Jackson was one
of the smart ones, and would figure out why this situation was so
damn bad. Not to mention the fact that she, herself, had a strict
no wrestler rule when it came to dating. Oh, this was so not good!
“It’s not okay. This is the worst thing ever.” she whispered. He
had no idea the real reason she was panic stricken yet. Oh, why did
she have to like him?

“Sure it is. We can still see each
other.”

“Jackson,” she started but stopped herself
when she sensed someone coming toward them.

“There she is!” She heard her Pop say before
he put his arm around her. “Hey, Lady. I heard you were here. I
wasn’t expecting you to start today.” He gave her a huge hug.
“Don’t you worry about any of these guys here. I had a nice little
chat with most of them about you. Besides, I’m sure Jackson here
will keep them in line if they overstep.”

“Oh, Pop,” Noelle said and looked directly at
Jackson. She searched his face, hoping that he realized what was
going on and why this was so bad. He was no dummy. He looked from
Noelle to Larry and back to her again, and, she saw the realization
overcome him. She noticed how hard he swallowed and how his Adam’s
apple moved up and down as he did so. Damn him for being so
appealing to her, even now.

It suddenly became all too clear to Jackson
why she was reacting the way she did. Larry Reid. His mentor. His
trainer. His wrestling teacher. Her father. Her big scary father,
who was almost maniacal about his rule that any wrestler better
stay away from his daughters. Oh fuck! That made her…Noelle! Their
families spent time together when they were kids. The last time he
had seen her, he had gone on a camping trip with her, back when
they were about thirteen. The last time they saw each other, they
almost kissed. He remembered trying to help her grieve her mother.
Of course! That was why she seemed so familiar to him Friday night.
Damn, that girl grew up fantastic. It was no wonder that they had
such an instant connection. They always had, until she freaked out
on him that last day of the camping trip. Well, he did drop her and
cause her to get stitches, but still.

“Oh my God, Noelle,” he said finally. He
realized that she had no clue who he really was. She just stared at
him. “Don’t you remember me? We used to go camping together?”

Noelle took a good look at him and her face
softened, “JJ?”

He chuckled. “No one has called me that in
years.”

“I see that the two of you are getting
reacquainted,” Larry chimed in. Oh, he had no idea how
reacquainted. “I’m not surprised. The two of you were joined at the
hip at one time.”

“I cannot believe it!” He leaned in and
hugged her, simply because he was excited to see his old friend
again.

She hugged him back. Things just got very
interesting - very fast.