Chapter 93

Mr. GQ

Luke POV

I wake up from a drugged sleep and my head feels foggy, a feeling I absolutely hate. Taking any kind of pain medication always makes me feel like a zombie. What time is it? Hell, what DAY is it and how long have I been sleeping?

Sitting up in bed, I wait for my head to clear so I can get up and go to the bathroom. My stomach growls and I can't remember the last time I ate an actual meal. After a few minutes, I stand up and pause for a minute. I'm a little wobbly but I can't sit or lay around here anymore.

I make my way to the bathroom and without turning on the light I do my thing and turn to the sink to wash my hands. Maybe some cool water will help clear this fog too. I nearly blind myself when I turn the light on but when my vision clears I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. What the fuck? God I look terrible.

The black eye I have is no longer dark red but has faded into a hue of purple and blue; yellow is the next step and then it will vanish. What really catches my attention is the bandage that's covering the cut across the bridge of my nose. It's a small bandage but I can see the stitches showing through and the swelling around it. At least my nose is fairly straight but fuck, I look like I've been in a brawl and I haven't done that in years. Then I remember what actually happens.

That tiny little female broke my fucking nose and gave me a black eye AND a concussion! How humiliating! On top of that she was proud as she walked away! I think that's the part that I'm most shocked by. For someone so sweet looking she sure enjoyed that.

Did I scare her? Probably but I was only trying to stop her from running down the hall so I could talk to her. The more I think about it I guess I DID scare her at the pool. All I was trying to do was apologize and have a civil conversation with her. I wanted to get her to not feel so hostile toward me. I'm still looking at myself in the mirror, at each of my injuries. Fuck she's one feisty little thing and strong as hell. I never expected that kind of rage and power to come from her.

I feel terrible and still want to apologize to her but I'm not going to tell anyone that; they'll lock me up for sure. I also still want to talk to her but here in Vegas is probably not the best place to do that, especially after what happened at the pool. Maybe when we all return to Seattle would be a better place to do that. Once she's away from that guy. Yeah, once he's out of the picture things will be a lot easier. That still pisses me off. I can't believe she's hanging around someone like him! I mean, seriously? A stripper? She can do better than that. Yeah, like me.

I can't get her out of my mind. I've never even talked to her but there's something that's pulling me to her and I just want to be around her. I need to see her but I already know that's not going to be easy. Ryan and Reynolds would tie me to a chair and lock me in the room. I just have to play it cool and not be obvious about wanting to show up wherever she is. I've got to play it smart and not talk about her or focus everything on her. How am I going to prove to the guys that I'm OK and won't slip up again? That's something I'll have to think about and come up with a solution quickly. I don't have a lot of time to waste.

Turning off the light, I walk out of the room and head to the kitchen. Ryan and Reynolds are sitting on the couch looking at their phones. They look up when they hear me.

"How are you feeling, Luke?" Ryan asks.

I can't tell if he's truly concerned or if he's just going through the motions of pretending to give a shit. I know I've been a complete asshole and that I've made a mess of this whole thing. I don't know how to fix the situation for anyone involved.

"Better. What's going on? Have you talked to T lately?" I ask, searching for answers.

Ryan looks at Reynolds, then back at me and says, "Yeah. He said there's no reason to observe the girls right now so he old us to take it easy and just hang out here in the room for a while until we hear from him again. So, this is where we will be for the next few hours at least. Maybe longer." He looks at Reynolds again. "He did say we could go out to get something to eat but we need to return right after so we're not seen." They both look at me, their faces stoic. "It sucks, especially since we're in Vegas, but a job is a job and we follow the orders we're given." He looks at me pointedly, his jaw clenched.

Ah. There's the message. I broke protocol and disobeyed orders. I lost control and got obsessed with the subject of the mission. "Look, guys, I apologize. I lost control and I have no idea how it happened or why. I've never done something like this and want those answers just as much as you do." I better play this off as much as I can to cover my ass. "I didn't mean to cause anyone any pain or anything else. I know T is pissed at me and I'm sure I have a lot of people angry with me, and rightfully so."

Ryan and Reynolds both look at me for a minute before looking at each other. "Luke, you've got to control yourself and focus on what the job is. You know that. You're top CPO. You need to make sure you stay that way." Ryan says, before agreeing with me. "You're right, you've never done something like this before. Have you considered talking to someone to get the answers?"

"No, I've never thought about it before." I don't think I need to. "However, if it makes everyone happy then I'll gladly step up and do that." I answer. Honestly, I mean that. If that what it takes to get back into everyone's good graces, I will.

"That's good to hear because I'm sure that's going to be approached when you talk to T." Ryan replies.

Fuck. This is going to be a nightmare to fix.

The only response I can give is a nod because I don't have the words to say. "What time is it?"

Reynolds looks at his phone. "It's 6:30 pm. Why?"

Looking at him, I respond, "I'm hungry. Do you guys want to go get something to eat? I don't want to go too far. What's around here?"

Ryan answers, pulling something up on his phone. "It depends on what you want. Do you have anything specific in mind?"

I think about it for a moment. "I actually have a craving for Mexican food. Are there any restaurants around here that serve Mexican food?"

I watch as Ryan scrolls through his phone. "I think Cabo Wabo is a Mexican food restaurant." He continues to scroll before adding, "I think they also serve American style food too; kind of a mix of different tastes."

"Hmm, where is it located? I don't want to walk too far, because of the meds I've been on, but I do want to get out and clear my head." I've got to play this cool and pretend I haven't seen the videos and photos of her on the internet. She's beautiful and amazing and I want to be with her but I have to keep that secret to myself.

Ryan and Reynolds look at each other, "What do you think? Does that sound good to you?" Ryan asks and adds, "I'm not too picky and from what I see their menu seems to have a pretty good selection of food."

Reynolds shrugs and replies, "Sounds good to me."

"With that decided, I'm going to go take a shower because I've been sleeping for what feels like forever and I feel groggy and grimy." Turning on my heel, I head back into my room to take a shower.

Turning on the water to let it heat up, I strip down and look at my face again in the mirror. "Fuck. I'll never live this down." I mutter, shaking my head, as I step into the shower.

Standing under the stream of hot water, I can't help but think about the whole situation with Rhiann. I hope she forgives me. I close my eyes, trying to think of a way to ask her for forgiveness, when the shower door opens. My eyes snap open and there she is, standing in front of me. God she's beautiful.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, shocked.

Silently, she steps inside the shower and stops in front of me. She's not under the stream of water yet so I step aside and share the stream with her. I take this opportunity to apologize, pleading for her forgiveness.

"Rhiann, I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to talk to you. I want to apologize and start the whole interaction over; in a good way." I let the words tumble out of my mouth quickly, fearing she won't let me finish before she tells me to fuck off. "I let myself get carried away and couldn't stop. I needed…"

She stops my rambling by standing on her tiptoes, reaching up and putting her finger to my lips. Still, she doesn't say anything. She just looks at me, a smile on her face and her green eyes shining bright.

I can't stop myself. Picking her up, I hold on tight to her and place my foot on the bench that is in the shower, balancing her on my knee. Leaning down, I kiss her, slow and gentle at first, but soon my desire takes control and the kiss turns more demanding. The harder and deeper I kiss her, she returns it, matching my passion. We're both out of breath when we pull away and I pull back, looking around her face, taking in her beauty.

Leaning down, I place a kiss on her lips, along her jawline and down her neck, working my way to her breasts. My god they're perfect. They are sensitive to my touch and her nipples harden immediately. Taking one in my mouth, I tease it with my tongue, nibbling gently with my teeth causing her to moan and arch her back. I run my hands down her body, lingering at her hipbones, and abandon her breasts to kiss her again.

My right hand trails across her belly, from hip to hip, then slowly makes its way lower. Slowly, I run a finger through her folds and slide it into her. I moan when I feel her wetness already. Holy fuck she's soaking wet. "I knew you wanted me as much as I want you. You just weren't letting yourself feel it, you were fighting it, but it's meant to be because you're here."

"You're so fucking tight." I mutter as I slowly I enter a second finger, stretching her a little more. I'm not exactly small and she's so little and I don't want to hurt her. I want to fuck her so badly that I don't know if I will be able to control myself. I'm hard as a rock and need to be inside her. I have every intention of being gentle and slow.

Lifting her up, I place my hands under her thighs while she wraps her arms around my neck. Lining my cock at her entrance I slip into her slowly, gasping when I feel the heat and wetness from her, leaning my forehead on hers as I struggle to maintain control. Failing miserably, my desire takes over and swiftly I'm deep inside her. She inhales sharply and makes a noise that I'm unsure if it's out of pleasure or pain.

"My god you feel good! You're so fucking tight!" I can't stop myself and I lift her up then slam back into her. The way I'm holding her, every time I lift her up, gravity pulls her down harder so she's getting double the power of my penetration. She's moaning and screaming in ecstasy, which only makes me fuck her faster until she cums so hard her entire body starts shaking. This sets me off and I growl out my release. I didn't know it was possible to break into a sweat in the shower but I definitely did.

"God baby, that was intense." I say, trying to catch my breath. "Are you OK?" I ask as I pull back from her to look in her eyes.

She looks up at me, smiles and says in a deep manly voice, "Luke, are you almost done in there? We're starving. Hurry up!"

What in the mother fuck?!

I shake my head and look down, my cock is in my hand and cum is all over the place, and I'm alone in the shower. God damn that was intense! If only it was really with Rhiann. This fucking sucks. I still want her, just as much as before. Maybe even more now. Fuck! How am I going to play this off and act like I'm over everything?

Turning off the shower, I sigh and answer, "Yeah, just finishing up." Stepping out, I dry off and look at myself in the mirror. I must admit, I look more relaxed than I have the past couple of days. This is ridiculous. I think I need to see if Grey can get me in to see Flynn ASAP. How am I going to request that and still make sure that the session remains confidential? I mean, I know there's doctor/patient confidentiality, but I need to make sure Grey or T wouldn't pay for the information. Lord knows that Grey thinks he can buy anything he wants, including people and information. I would think Flynn wouldn't do that, considering Grey's, shall we say, predilections. I certainly don't need that information getting out. It's bad enough that I've acted the way I have been.

I feel terrible for scaring her but all I wanted to do was talk to her so she could see that I'm a good guy. I also wanted to make her understand that being with someone who lives in the same city is so much better than someone who lives in another state completely. Fuck, I just want a chance.

I've made such a huge mess of this and I don't know how to fix it. Hell, I don't even know if it CAN be fixed.

I get dressed in jeans and a nice shirt. Fuck Grey. If we're not working tonight, watching the girls, then I'm dressing the way I want to dress. Besides, T basically took me off the assignment so as far as I'm concerned, I'm free to dress however I want to. I feel better after showering and getting dressed. Taking a final look in the mirror, I decide that other than the bandage on the bridge of my nose and the black eye, I don't look too bad.

I'm excited to get to the restaurant to get the chance to see her. I don't even know if she's still going to be there but even if she is, I've got to play it cool and pretend she's not there. How in the fuck am I supposed to do that when I just jerked off to a dream of her in the shower? I'm obviously still obsessing over her and when she's around all I see is her. I chuckle, "I think I've crossed over the thin line of CPO and obsessive stalker because if I could, I'd follow her around everywhere. Even if it's just to see her and make sure she's OK.

Opening the door, I walk out to the great room and see Ryan and Reynolds are in jeans too. I guess they had the same thought on the matter.

Reynolds looks at me, "Are you ready, Mr. GQ? My god you take forever in the shower. What were you doing, jacking off in there?" He's laughing and Ryan joins in.

If you only knew. I smirk and roll my eyes. "Fuck dude, no. I've been sleeping for what feels like forever. You'd do the same thing if it was you. I felt like I was in a fog and needed to wake up. I'm ready now so let's go. I'm starving." I smile and start for the door.

Exiting the room, I try not to show my hope of running into her in the hallway but there's no sound and no movement. Of course, they're already at the restaurant. At least I hope she's still there so I can at least catch a glimpse of her.

As we exit the elevator, we make our way through the busy casino and onto the street, passing the fountain. Automatically, I think about her dancing and have to stop myself from looking around for her. Luckily, the fountain isn't doing a show right now so I know she's not there. Crossing the street, I notice there are a lot more people lingering around in groups. I'm aware of some sort of treasure hunt hoping for videos and pictures of the two of them around the Strip. I can understand why too. She's beautiful and talented and there's something that draws people to her. From what I've read, the world thinks that she and that guy are in love. To be honest, I kind of agree. Even if I don't want to admit it I can tell it's starting to happen. I'm just hoping that, by the time she returns to Seattle, it's not too late and I can break down those feelings before they actually take a permanent hold.

We make our way into Planet Hollywood and find the restaurant, put our names in and wait for our table to be ready. There are women everywhere and we're getting eyed by a lot of them. I mean, it makes me feel good that at least SOMEONE is attracted to me. I'm sure I could get laid at any time but I don't think that would be good right now. I've already fucked up royally while we've been here and I don't want to push my luck. Besides, I'm only attracted to one person right now and I hope to connect with her soon.

As we're waiting, there is a buzz of excitement from people chatting that the two people from the hunt are inside eating dinner. It blows my mind how people are affected just by their presence. See? I'm not the only one obsessed by Rhiann. The entire world is too. For different reasons perhaps, but obsessed, nonetheless.

The hostess calls our name and we follow obediently behind her to our table. I glance around as we're walking but I don't see her but that doesn't mean they're not still here somewhere. Our table is near the bar and I take the seat that has the best view of the entire place. I pretend to look at the decorations and take in the ambience when, in fact, I'm actually searching for Rhiann.

"So, guys, this place is kind of cool. I like the decorations and the atmosphere is pretty relaxed." I say, hoping to draw away any suspicion of my actions. "I heard Sammy Hagar brought this place here. That's pretty cool. What do you think?" I ask both of them.

Ryan looks around and then at me. "It's pretty cool here, actually. Looks more like a place to party than family friendly, but I guess it's the time of day that makes a difference." He pauses, looking at the menu, "I wonder if the food is any good. I've heard the drinks are fantastic, though I don't think we should drink anything tonight. I mean, we're not technically working tonight but I think T would be pissed if he found out we had a drink."

"I totally agree with you. Ryan. I've got pain meds and a concussion so I'm definitely not drinking. Besides, I've fucked up enough already and I'd like to keep the fuckups to a minimum." I laugh. I can't tell if they believe what I'm saying but I'm serious. No drinking tonight.

Reynolds laughs, "Dude, we all want to keep the fuckups to a minimum. It's been an interesting past couple of days, to say the least. I will so glad when we go back to Seattle and away from all this bullshit. Grey owes us a vacation after this." He laughs louder and Ryan and I join in. It feels good to laugh again.

Ryan adds, "I agree but something tells me this is far from over." Reynolds and I look at him questioningly. "Remember, Ana still has to see Grey. I'm pretty sure she's going to give him a piece of her mind."

Reynolds adds, "You're right. This is far from over."

We order our food and have idle chit-chat. I'm sure it feels awkward, considering things that have happened, but I'm trying to overcome the obstacles and get things back to the way they were. I've got to prove that I'm in control, calm and professional. Here to do a job and that's it.

We're waiting for our food to arrive when there's a murmur that floats across the restaurant and a slight electrical feeling starts. I see Kate walking toward the patio, where I assume their table is, and Rhiann is following behind her. That would explain why I didn't see her inside. Oh my god she's gorgeous! I haven't seen her since she hit me, other than on the internet. Holy fuck, how am I going to pretend she's not here? Fuck, this is going to be torture. I just wanted to see her but she's absolutely stunning.

I'm glad Ryan and Reynolds have their backs to her so they can't see anything. I watch as they get to their table, just barely, because there is an opening between the curtains and the window frame. There isn't any glass right now because it's summer and it's an open-air restaurant. I can't see her but I can see the guy they are with. I watch as he smiles and stands up and moves around the table, like he's pulling out their chairs like a gentleman. How nauseating. I understand why he would do that; she deserves to be treated like a princess. I admire his dedication. I admit I don't think any other male would be able to top the way he treats her. Unfortunately, that means no other male could possibly have a chance with her. He pretty much sealed the deal just by his actions alone. When I saw that photo of him holding the straw to her I knew it was over. I don't think there's a man alive that would have ever thought about doing that. They would've just handed the drink to her.

Seeing her in that cast and sling isn't right. She shouldn't ever be hurt like that. Man, I feel terrible about the whole mess I've created. It never should have been like this. I wish I could take it all back and handle things differently, but I can't. I just have to see if I can make amends and fix things. No matter what happens in the end.

I've tried not to stare at them by focusing on eating and chatting with the guys but every time I've looked over, he's looking over here. I wonder if he knows? I don't think he would have any idea who I am, unless the girls said something.

When I see him stand up, they start to walk into the building to leave. He's placed her on his right side, away from me, and Kate and Ana are following behind them. Fuck guys, I'm not going to attack her. I'm keeping my distance while we're in Vegas. I can see her body tense up and she looks angry. He has a weird look on his face and he says something to her. She smiles and raises his hand to her lips. What in the hell?

As they're walking, she looks my way and we make eye contact. I watch as she rubs her nose with her left hand then lifts her arm in the cast and smirks at me. She actually smirked at me! If I didn't know better I'd think she was rubbing it in my face. She's got balls, that's for sure.

I nod my head slightly and smile, acknowledging her victory. She looks down at her arm and back at me with a slight smile and shrugs. She then looks up and smiles at the guy, wraps her arm around his, leans into him and says something and they walk out of sight. Fuck.

The guys and I eat our meals, which is actually really good, and we start to relax a little more and enjoy ourselves. We start to hear people's phones going off, including our own, and we look at each other.

"I wonder what they've done now?" Reynolds asks. I shrug and we pull our phones out to look.

Before I look at mine I notice most of the people at the tables, that I can see, are all in the same position that we are in; heads down, their faces illuminated by their phone screens. It's surreal.

When I look at mine, I see Rhiann carrying a backpack and talking to a homeless man. I watch, captivated, as she kneels down next to him and has an awe inspiring intimate moment with him. It almost feels like we're intruding on a private moment and when she kisses her palm and rests it on his cheek.

"Holy shit." I hear Reynolds say, echoing the words in my head.

Ryan adds to that, "Not only is she beautiful on the outside, she's beautiful on the inside too."

Now you see why I'm obsessed with her? OK, obsessed sounds bad. Maybe captivated is better and doesn't sound so stalkerish.

I scan the background and see dozens of phones recording and dozens with tears in their eyes, even Kate and Ana. I can't tell about the guy but if he isn't affected then he's an asshole. Never in a million years would I have expected her to do anything like that. What's even more amazing is when she stands up, she acts like it was nothing.

As Ryan and Reynolds are watching their phones, I can almost hear their thoughts, as they echo mine. "Wow, that's amazing. She's definitely something special, and I'm surprised about the reaction of Kate and Ana. You would think they would know she's capable of doing something like that."

Ryan looks at us, "Unless they do and she catches them off guard, or she doesn't want the attention. I mean, you can tell she acts like it's no big deal when she turns and goes back to the girls. Maybe she does it all the time but doesn't stick around for the attention."

Reynolds responds, "You've got a good point. It does look like she really doesn't want any attention, even with the dancing they do. She always looks surprised when they dance and see the crowds recording them. I wouldn't want the attention either, but the world seems to want to focus on the happy stuff, not all the negative bullshit in the world, and I think her meeting that guy brought out the happiness in her AND him." He's silent for a moment then says, "Dude, he's got to have a name. We sound like morons calling him 'the guy.' I mean really, we need to see if we can at least get a first name."

Ryan laughs, "You do have a point. I'll text T and see if he can find out. I'm sure Elliot knows something, or can ask Kate, he seems to have all the details. Hopefully by now he will share at least that little tidbit of information."

Ryan sends a text to T quickly:

Ry: Hey T, do you think you can find out the guy's name? It sounds stupid that we don't even have a first name. Maybe Elliot can divulge that piece of information?

"I sent T a message. Now we just wait and see what his response is." We have to hope that Elliot will share, he seems to have been keeping 99% of the details locked away and that doesn't seem to have helped the situation. I totally understand though, I understand he promised Kate and Ana and a promise is a promise. He's a good guy, Grey is too, but he's really got some issues and unfortunately it's because of his past and probably that nasty monster of a woman Elena. She's a real piece of work.

We finish up and decide to head back to the hotel and chill. It's a nice night out and as we're walking past the fountain, there's an excited murmur that floats across the crowd by the fountain. I glance around to see if I can figure out where it's coming from. It can't be them dancing because the fountain just finished playing and the lights are all dimming down.

We continue toward the entrance of the hotel and there they are, Rhiann and that guy. He is holding her hand and trying to lead her into the hotel, but she stops suddenly, pulling her hand from his. I can see there's something wrong as she holds her hand out, her posture stiff, her head held high and defiant.

Kate and Ana are off to the side, watching. Stepping closer to her he says something. He dwarfs her and, from appearances, it looks like he's trying to dominate her. A minute passes and her posture changes and she appears to deflate, almost like she's submitting to him. I'm kind of concerned about what happened but I can't say anything.

Hmm… Trouble in paradise? Maybe I might still have a chance after all.

I'm not sure if the guys saw them so I pretend to look around at the people on the street. Walking into the casino, I see them out of the corner of my eye in front of the Market. He's handing her something, which she puts in her mouth, followed by a bottle of water. I hope it's just a pain pill. Certainly, he doesn't do drugs or would do anything to hurt her? I'll go with my original thought, a pain pill, which means she's hurting.

I wonder what the altercation outside was about? Neither one of them looked too happy. I watch them disappear out of sight as they walk toward the elevators. I hope she's going to be OK with him. I don't want to think about what they could be doing in her room, considering it's something I'd like to be doing with her. However, she is hurt and I hope he would respect her more and wait until she was better.

We make our way to the elevators and head up to our room to chill. It will be nice to kick back and relax. Maybe even have a drink, but I have to be careful of my meds. I don't want any complications.