Her Striker by Charlene Raquel

Chapter Eleven

 

 

Gwen stopped next to one of the cars in the lot and checked her hair. The beach waves that Sam helped her tame flowed around her bare shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she hurried toward the building. Her hair actually turned out nice. Her make-up was light but highlighted her high cheekbones, and her dress hugged her curves.

Altogether, she looked good and felt good. It was amazing how the right outfit and a good hair-day could infuse someone with confidence. She was even rocking the high-heeled sandals Sam made her wear.

The line of people trying to get inside was a little long. Just as she stepped up to the back of the line, Parker called out her name.

He jogged up to her with a grin, leaning in and kissing her cheek. “You look beautiful.”

Gwen smiled shyly. “Thanks. You look good too.” Even though he was wearing a tailored light gray suit with a dark shirt, something was missing. Polished shoes, belt, perfectly styled hair had her betting his nails had been buffed, also. He was too refined, no hint of personality or rebellion. Too perfect.

Parker offered her his arm. “You don’t have to wait in that line. He steered her to the front of the group of people and nodded to a tall, thin man guarding the three sets of double doors. Everyone was entering through the doors on the right. The man stepped aside and motioned them through the center doors.

“We shouldn’t skip ahead of everyone.” Gwen didn’t like to cut in line. She had no problem waiting her turn.

Parker rolled his eyes. “People like us don’t wait in lines, Gwen.” He led her around the side of the lobby, bypassing the crowd and heading toward the back of the building.

Gwen stopped dead when they turned the second corner into a deserted hallway. “Where are we going?”

Parker smiled at her indulgently. “The service elevator is through that door. We would have had to wait for a while in the lobby. It was mobbed.”

Gwen slipped her hand from his arm. “No one else is around here.” She turned to head back to the lobby. Some of the horror movies Sam had forced her to watch started with a foolish girl heading into the darkness all alone with a psycho killer.

A couple turned the corner and headed their way. The guy nodded to Parker. The girl flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Hi Parker. I thought you were going to wait for us,” she pouted.

Parker raised his eyebrow. “Gwen?”

Gwen hesitated. She didn’t know the two newcomers but there was safety in numbers, right? She gave him a tentative smile.

“Liz, Rick, this is Gwen. She’s our top-ranked tennis player this year.”

Rick smiled at her. “Nice to meet you. Liz used to play, didn’t you, babe?”

Liz shrugged one shoulder. “I played in high school, but I haven’t been on the court in a while. I’m too busy to play sports.”

Gwen had no idea what to say to that. Her good mood was slowly deteriorating. “Oh.”

“Liz has other things to occupy her time.” Rick squeezed Liz’s ass, and she simpered.

Not to be outdone, Liz slipped her hand behind Rick and grabbed his ass. “Don’t you get awfully sweaty?”

“Uh. Not really.” Gwen needed to get away from them all.

Parker placed his hand at the small of Gwen’s back. “This way.”

Gwen didn’t want to make a scene, but warning lights were flashing brightly in her head again. Once they made it up to the event, she would ditch Parker and his snotty friends. A plan firmly in mind, she let Parker lead the way.

A plain metal door at the end of the hall was definitely not something she wanted to walk through. Parker opened the door, and a light flickered on as he ushered her inside first. The others followed closely.

Luckily, the service elevator was a few steps past the doorway, and no one was waiting for it. She watched closely as he pushed the button for the top floor and not the basement where nefarious things could happen to her. She forced her imagination to the back of her mind, not allowing it free reign.

Thankfully, the ride was quick, and she could hear the party in full swing. They exited near the kitchen, and Gwen took the lead. The faster she arrived at the party, the better she would feel.

The room was packed with people of all ages. College students interacting with much older scholarship patrons, sports donors, and sponsors. Gwen scanned the room for any of her teammates. She would even take Clarissa as a means of escape.

Rick and Liz stopped to speak with another couple, and Parker ushered her toward the side of the room along a row of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sports fields.

Gwen paused. “Thanks for helping me get up here quicker, Parker. I really need to check in with my coach. I’m sure the team is here somewhere.”

Parker’s smile was forced. “That can wait. I want to introduce you to someone.”

“That’s sweet, but I really should find my teammates.”

Parker applied some pressure to her back. “It’s just over this way, and then I’ll help you find your little tennis friends.”

Gwen locked her jaw so she wouldn’t say something nasty. She would walk his way a little longer since people were around, and she didn’t see anyone she knew. The moment she did, she would ditch him.

“There you are, Parker. We’ve been waiting for you to arrive.”

Gwen glanced up to see Adrian’s sneer and Drew’s narrowed gaze. She had no idea what was going on.

Parker’s hand went around her bicep. It wasn’t a tight grip, but it was clear she wouldn’t get loose until he was ready to let her go or she made a fuss in front of people. Ugh. Men suck, especially obnoxious bullies with questionable motives.

Adrian motioned between Drew and Gwen. “When we discovered that you two had quite the history, we knew we had to orchestrate a reunion.”

Drew had trouble keeping his bored expression. Even though Dean had warned him of her arrival, he couldn’t deny the effect seeing her always had on him. Gwen Mason was more beautiful now than she was before. She was also standing there stiffly and, if he was assessing the situation correctly, frightened.

Adrian laughed loudly. “Aren’t you going to greet your old friend, Maxwell?”

Gwen’s eyes darted between the men, having no idea what was going on. She could feel the tension all around them. Although she had seen Adrian and Parker around campus, Gwen had never spoken to them. She should have known they were up to something. Drew had already made his feelings about her quite clear, so this guy, Adrian, must only want to embarrass her for some reason.

She yanked her arm away from Parker, who hadn’t been paying her any attention, and stepped to the side and out of his reach.

Drew’s fist clenched when he noticed Parker’s grip on Gwen. He was glad to see her pull away from Parker. No woman should ever be abused or bullied. He might not like Gwen very much anymore, but he didn’t want to see anyone manhandle her. He needed to put a stop to this. “Adrian, I’m surprised you missed the gossip about our first encounter. Everyone knows how I feel about Ms. Mason.”

Gwen glared at Drew’s comments and then at Parker as he moved closer to her. “I don’t want any part of whatever you all have planned.”

Adrian laughed again. “I guess time doesn’t make the heart grow fonder. And here I thought I would help facilitate your reunion after being away from each other for so many years. You were rather inseparable when you were younger, despite the wishes of your parents.”

“I’ve heard enough.” Gwen was several steps away when Adrian spoke.

“Don’t run too far. This isn’t the only reintroduction tonight.”

Gwen didn’t want to know what he meant. She hurried to lose herself in the crowd.

“We have a huge problem,” Dean barked into Drew’s ear. “Your father and another man just walked out of a meeting room and are heading your way.”

Drew internally cursed. His father being there was not a good sign. Intercepting his father and discovering what he had planned was the only thing Drew could do. He left Adrian and Parker laughing snidely and strode through the crowd, not stopping for anyone.

“Drew, I think that’s Gwen’s father with yours.” Dean had made sure to identify as many people at the event as possible.

“That’s not surprising,” Drew muttered, not caring that he was speaking to himself.

 

~*~*~

 

Gwen weaved through the people mingling about, on a mission to put as much distance between Parker, Adrian, and Drew. Parker and Adrian were up to something. She didn’t think Drew had been involved since his first reaction to seeing her was surprise and then, shockingly, appreciation. He checked her out for a second before covering it with boredom and distaste.

“There she is,” simpered Coach Stan. “Just a girl we were looking for.”

Gwen groaned. “Hi, Coach.” The evening had just started, and it was turning out to be a disaster.

“Come with me. Your benefactor wants to have a word.” Coach pointed through the crowd.

Gwen’s eyebrows shot up. She had been the recipient of the Scorpius Tennis Scholarship for the past three years. It had paid her tuition, living expenses, and books for the exclusive university. Most of the scholarships didn’t cover as much as hers did. She had asked a couple of times in the past for contact information so she could thank the person or foundation that offered the scholarship, but she had been told the person wanted to remain anonymous.

She was instantly suspicious after the encounter with Adrian and Parker. What was going on? The last three years of school had been uneventful and almost boring. The past couple of months changed that, starting with Drew’s brother’s death. Since then, everything had been a little off.

“I would love to meet the donor, but I need to use the ladies’ room first.” She didn’t wait for him to say anything before hurrying off toward the restrooms. She would escape for a few minutes in the one place men could not follow her.

She ignored Coach Stan bellowing her name.

Her steps became faster as she blindly hurried away, not paying attention to where she was going or whom she was brushing past. A hard grip on her bicep halted her forward motion, jerking her to a stop in front of two men she had hoped to never see again.

Gwen’s world stopped, causing nausea to spread and threaten to empty her stomach. “What are you doing here, Father?”

“Coming to see my daughter since she hasn’t seen fit to come home to see her parents in three years.” Richard Mason leaned menacingly toward his daughter, his fingers digging into her arm. “I’ve indulged you long enough.”

He hadn’t changed at all since the last time she had seen him. She had thought he would look different since he had become a monster in her nightmares. Richard Mason oozed money with expensive clothes, shoes and even his perfectly trimmed and styled hair. Gwen couldn’t see his watch, but she knew it was on his right wrist just under his tailored, monogrammed cuff. He never went anywhere without his Jaeger LeCoultre Perpetual.

Gwen from three years ago would have uselessly argued with her father until she made herself sick. Nothing she ever said had any effect or sway on his biased and dictatorial views. Taking a deep breath, she tried to turn her back on him and took a step away, but his hand tightened.

She should have known that he would not be dismissed that easily. He yanked her arm, bruising her skin as he pulled her closer toward him.

“Don’t you ever turn away from me again. I’ve had enough of your insolence. Your mother had convinced me to give you time to grow the hell up, but it’s over now. You will fall in line and do what I tell you,” Richard seethed.

Gwen put all her weight into trying to get out of his grip, but his fingers only clenched harder. “Let me go!”