Cornered: On the Ropes

Chapter 1

"Does Hunter have your number?" Rhea rested her head on Liv's thigh as she pulled back slightly from licking her.

Of all the things Liv thought Rhea might say after making her come, that wasn't on the list. She shut her eyes and let out a few shaky breaths before tugging on Rhea's hair. "Why? Does he want to book the Corner Shop for some private shows?" Rhea had come back to the strip club a few times with Damian—who had been let in on the secret of Marley with the understanding that he didn't share it—and more often on her own, but they rarely talked about wrestling. Half a year had passed since she left WWE, so it wasn't exactly a sore spot for Liv anymore, but it wasn't her favourite topic of conversation either.

Rhea laughed, moving up to nuzzle Liv's hip. "Ha. As if. You really think I wouldn't tell Finn about you, but I'd try to get the company Christmas party set up at the club?"

"Well, no, but...." Liv realized she hadn't really thought about wrestling in weeks. She still missed it on some level, but it wasn't like her days weren't busy and chaotic. She still kept odd hours, dealt with good fans and bad jerks, dressed up to perform, and worked out to keep in shape. The only difference was that her performances were now mostly on stage. "I mean, it's not like he and I were close...."

"No, I know, but...." Sighing, Rhea sat up between Liv's thighs and ran her nails along them. "It's just that he was asking—"

"About me?" Liv sat up a bit, but her thoughts were still hazy.

"Not by name, no, but he called a couple of the big-name women into his office: me, Bianca, Becks." Rhea pulled Liv onto her lap and kissed her. "It was one of those How can we improve? type of meetings and one of the things he asked was who we thought would be a good addition to the division."

Liv's breath caught a bit and she tried to steady herself by wrapping her arms around Rhea's neck. "Oh. What did you tell him?"

"Well, he asked us all to make a list of names." Then Rhea grinned. "So I asked if we were only talking about women from the indies, ones who had never been in the company or if we could include ones who had been in WWE and weren't anymore."

"But I left." Liv's voice was as soft as the sunlight coming in through her window. Rhea had come to the club last night to watch her perform—and to get her regular private lap dance—and then come home with her, and she was enough of a regular that the security recognized her. The other dancers welcomed her into the dressing room, and Asha didn't even mind if they had the occasional quickie at the club as long as they were discreet about it. Liv had assumed the night was like any other, but now she had to wonder if Rhea was trying to hint at something the entire time and she had missed it. "They would go for the ones they let go, wouldn't they? Like Sarah and Ruby? Well, except Sarah's pregnant now, so...."

Rhea shrugged lightly. "Becky and I both brought up Ruby, but she just signed with another company, so she's off-limits for now." Then she leaned in and kissed Liv again. "But all three of us listed you." With a grin, she added, "You were the only one all three of us suggested."

Liv blushed a bit. She wasn't surprised that Rhea had spoken up for her, but to know that Becky and Bianca—two of the hardest-working, most accomplished women in the company—had advocated for her as well made her heart swell with pride. "That's sweet of them. Becky still texts me all the time."

This time Rhea's breath hitched. "Does she know? Not that it's my business who you tell, of course—"

Liv gave a short nod. "Yeah. I knew she wouldn't tell anyone unless I said she could, and she had been so supportive of me throughout everything. It felt weird to keep lying to her." She snuggled closer to Rhea, resting her head on her shoulder. "She was really cool about it. She even came down to watch me dance once and she left a nice tip for all the girls. It was a fun night." Brushing hair back from Rhea's face, she added, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I meant to, but I think that was the weekend Sarah told me she was pregnant, so it slipped my mind."