by Leigh, Anne
For the first time in a very long time, I found myself in a precarious position inside the cage. When he got my body all twisted against his, I felt my breath leave my lungs. I smelled his manly, intoxicating scent and instead of wanting to get out of his hold, I found myself relishing in his embrace.
Well it was more of a tackle, not an embrace, but it was the closest I’d been to in his arms in such a long time.
It felt good.
Like coming home.
I pushed the thought away as I lathered myself in the peach body soap that I’d opened before getting in the shower.
The past shouldn’t matter, but the past was the gallows hanging between us.
To this day, I blamed myself for everything that went wrong, and he had every right to keep his distance from me.
My heart clogged at the memory of her, and I flexed my neck towards the ceiling so I could avoid the tears.
It’d been five years, but it would forever feel like yesterday.
I turned the water off before I could launch into a self-pity session that would require hours of sisterly and best friend intervention and grabbed the big blue towel to dry myself.
I didn’t have time to dry my hair and reapply my makeup as I hurriedly put my party clothes back on.
I stepped outside and saw Matteo already sitting on the bench outside the bathroom.
Like me, he was freshly showered.
Unlike me, he looked so well put together. His dark grey suit still unwrinkled, as if he never took it off to change into fighting gear.
“I told Dad and Nic that you’re with me.” His voice came out sharp. “As far as Greyson –“
“It’s not his fault.” I defended my friend as I stepped closer to where he was sitting, “It’s all on me. He had no idea.”
Matteo snorted as if I was being ridiculous. “Yeah right.”
“I know that you won’t let anything happen to me,” I said softly. Trying to salvage myself and keep Greyson from being incriminated. I’d asked him to cover for me since I had something to do. Grey had no clue that I was about to go into the cage with Matteo.
Matteo closed his eyes and I felt the charge in the air.
It took him three seconds to let it all out.
“You put yourself in danger, Alissa!” Everyone thought that he was always in control. That he never had any outbursts like Nic. And even when we were kids, he held his temper in check better than Kassius. That was saying a lot because Kassius never got angry.
But I knew Matteo.
I saw the gales of storms within his eyes, the tornado in his emotions, waiting to surface.
He only allowed himself to be emotional when he was with me.
“I didn’t know it was you! For fuck’s sake, I could have broken your legs and put you in a wheelchair.” His anger came out in a violent wave. “I could have punched you the wrong way and you’d be unconscious on the floor. Why the fuck would you put yourself in that position?”
“I wouldn’t have allowed it,” I reasoned, my voice rising to the same wavelength as his.
“You wouldn’t have allowed it?” His face contorted into a raging scowl as he stood up and paced to the row of lockers a few feet away from me. “Jesus fuck. How would you NOT allow it when I was hitting you left and right?”
“You weren’t hitting me; I was blocking you.” He was allowed to be upset, but even in the haze of anger, he should know that I was adequately defending myself. “And I knew you weren’t going to go all-out since it was an exhibition and not a real fight.”
A metal locker jangled from the force of his kick.
“I thought I was fighting Niro. Or one of the new fighters that Dad hired.” His words spewed out in a thundering roar. “Even if it’s for show only, I wasn’t keeping it light.”
“You were really –“
“What the hell were you thinking, Ali?” Now it was Ali and instead of screaming, his voice was low and anguished.
It tore at me when he was like this. It was a side of him that not a lot of people were privy to. It only showed up when he was really upset.
I walked to him, in the heels that I’d put on right after my shower, crossing the distance between us.
“I’m sorry,” I said as I stood a few inches away from him. Over the years, I’d seen pictures of him hanging out with my brother, and during our family parties we’d see each other, but he kept a mountain between us. Up close, I noticed how his face no longer held that soft, boyish skin that my hands would pinch until he screamed in surrender whenever we were playing board games.
Now his facial features reminded me that he’d grown into a really handsome man, the cut along his cheek looked like it was fresh and the darkened spots against his forehead were markings that he’d been out in the sun for far too long, without applying sunscreen.
His stormy eyes searched my face, as if checking for something. Then his gaze landed around my neck before he said, “Did I hurt you?”
I faced him as a challenger in the cage, his skills were beyond what I’d ever fought against, and he’d been unforgiving in the use of his fighting techniques, not knowing that it was me.
“I’m fine.” I felt a pinch around my legs, but it wasn’t anything that would last for a week. I was used to feeling pain after a great set on the mat, but Matteo’s hits hurt more than others, because he was more powerful and precise than my sparring partners.
“Don’t lie to me, Ali.” His beautiful face so filled with anger only moments earlier was now suffused with warmth and concern. “Where does it hurt?”
I didn’t want to dig my grave deeper so I breathed out, “My leg. It caught wrong. When you went for the takedown, it got twisted.”
I didn’t feel much of the pain earlier because I was still running on adrenaline, but now that it was fading, I could tell that my right leg wasn’t A-okay.
“Which leg?” His brows gathered into a frown and before I could say anything else, Matteo picked me up without so much effort and started carrying me outside of the room.
“It’s nothing that I haven’t felt before.” It was the truth, but it didn’t mean that it hurt less. “I don’t need a doctor or anything, I just need to let it rest.”
Being in his arms felt so wonderful, so familiar. I nestled my head against his neck and I heard him take in a deep breath.
“You can’t go back to the party in those heels,” he said as he kept walking. We neared an elevator and he pressed the number 54, never setting my body down.
I turned my head away from his suit, “I have to go back. I left my purse with Greyson.”
“Fuck Greyson.” The words rolled out so fast from his tongue that I couldn’t say another word, “You’re coming with me.”
“Matty, you’re being unreasonable,” I said, hoping that I could reason with him. I needed to get my phone back and there was the matter of his fighter.
“Tell me what you need and I’ll get it for you.” The steel in his voice was daring me to disobey. “I’ll let everyone know that I’m taking you home.”
I didn’t have the energy nor the disposition to disagree with him, “I need my phone so everyone won’t be wondering if I’m okay.” Mom and Dad would be freaking out if I didn’t say goodbye to them before the end of the party. They were used to me hanging out with Grey or my brother. They trusted that I’d be safe, but still I had to tell them I was okay.
“Done.” The elevator opened and there were no rooms on this floor. There was just one door.
I’d been inside many of the hotels that the Tanners owned, but I’d never really gotten to exploring many of them. Their hotels exuded luxury and extravagance without being gaudy.
Matteo punched a code on the side of the door before putting his hand back to keep my butt secure in his hold.
We entered the room and the lights came on.
“Wow,” I said as I breathed out. The wall was painted in muted blues and reds, with abstract paintings surrounding the focal points ever
ywhere I looked. I could see the big glass windows opened, allowing the midnight air to seep in. “This is amazing.”
Matteo didn’t say anything as he slowly set my body on the big, white sofa cushion facing the Vegas skyline.
“Is this one of the private suites?” I asked as my eyes lingered on the sleek wine bar on the far end of the room to the separate dining area where the chandelier atop the dining table gleamed in sparkling glory.
“No.” He said as he moved towards the stainless steel refrigerator to the left, “No one can get in here except for me.”
I rolled my eyes, of course, this was his.
He got the pick of the best rooms in their hotels. It’s probably where he brought all the ladies when he was settling in for the night.
“Only my friends have been here.” His grey eyes were knowing as he walked closer towards where I was seated. “Guy friends.”
I raised both of my hands, “Hey, I didn’t say anything.”
“But you were thinking it.” A slant formed on his forehead. “Women aren’t allowed here. Not even my mom.”
“I’m a woman,” I countered, as he pressed the cold ice pack to my leg.
“That’s debatable.” His eyes were almost teasing; this was the side of Matteo I’d thoroughly missed. “Women don’t fight the way you do.”
“That’s such a sexist thing to say,” I slapped my wrist on his left arm. An arm that was marbled with muscles. I couldn’t see them right now, but I knew that they were there. I’d felt them up close and knew the damage that they could inflict when I was inside of the cage with him.
He shrugged his shoulders and moved his body so that my legs were resting on top of his suit-covered legs. He pulled two cushions from his side and placed them behind my back.
The chime of his phone interrupted the lull of our conversation. Suddenly, I felt every bone in my body slacken to the point of dead tiredness. I struggled to keep my eyes open as Matteo talked on the phone, his right hand softly caressing my leg, making me drift further into sleepiness.
“Can you grab her purse from Greyson?” I could hear him saying, but his words were getting muted by the second.
I’d been operating on adrenaline and the fight response was getting to be too much for my body to handle. Now it was time to rest.
I soaked in the comfort of his presence, the steady hum of his voice, and the gentle touches on my legs, and before I completely drifted into No Man’s Land, I said, “Your fighter, Niro…please get him out of his room.”
Matteo
“Gage, can you check on Niro? I heard he’s locked in a hotel room.” I spoke on the phone to Gage, the Alliance’s head of security.
Gage asked what happened and I told him that I didn’t know before hitting end on my phone.
I propped Ali’s leg on the pillow, grimacing as I watched as the patch of skin on her leg had turned darker compared to the skin on top and below it. If only I’d known it was her, I’d have been more gentle.
No.
If I’d known it was her in front of me, I wouldn’t have even lifted a finger towards her.
I would have gladly bowed out of the fight.
Her chest lifted and her mouth puckered as soft snores came out of her soft lips.
Waves of curly, blonde tendrils framed her gorgeous face, and I found my left hand lifting to caress the side of her sloped cheeks.
When we were younger, I loved staring as her eyes changed into a myriad of shades depending on her mood. Ali didn’t hide behind her emotions.
She didn’t have to tell me when she was happy.
Her eyes told me everything.
They were of the lighter hue when she was happy about something. Like the time I brought her a Tamagotchi in different colors for Christmas. She squealed as if I’d given her a Super Soaker and she hugged me longer than she did her bestie, Geneva.
I knew because I’d timed it.
Thirty-five seconds was given to Geneva for the bracelet gift.
And to me, a whole minute.
I was pretty sure Geneva wasn’t competing for how long Ali hugged her on her birthday, but I found myself wanting to be the better, best, bestest friend in her lavender eyes.
Her eyes turned darker when she was excited, the violet almost becoming black and silver. A fascinating combination I’d only seen a handful of times. The first being when I’d given her the silk blend strand of South Sea pearls for her tenth birthday. It was the first present I’d ever ordered through a jeweler; I’d asked my friend Klaus to go with me to the mall because I wanted to surprise Ali with my gift. It’d cost me my whole savings, but the happiness in Ali’s eyes was worth every dollar.
My phone pinged from my side and I turned off the volume quickly as not to wake Ali up.
Nic: Where are you?
Me: My room.
Nic knew where my room was at. It wasn’t really a room. It was the whole floor, but it was all one big suite to me. Mom and Dad didn’t give me free hotel rooms anywhere I wanted just because I was their son.
I had to work hard to maintain residence here.
My summers weren’t spent partying up in Monaco or living it up in the Maldives.
Rather they were patches of time where I had to learn how the family businesses operated.
My dad had been bringing me to the gym since I could walk.
But he’d also brought me with him on meetings with the Board of Directors for all the charitable organizations that were under the flagship of T & T.
Mom took me to her business meetings wherever they might be, if I had no school. By the time I was twelve, I’d been to Germany twice to accompany her to a tête-à-tête with the management team of our hotels in Magdeburg and Potsdam.
I learned the value of punctuality when the meeting in Shenzhen was cancelled because the Chinese investors were upset that we were five minutes late. They eventually rescheduled the meeting three days later which made Mom extremely upset at me because she’d wanted to fly home after the previously scheduled meeting to be with Dad. They hadn’t seen each other for a week and because I got caught up playing Command and Battle, our stay in China was extended.
Mom seldom got upset at me and in the five hours that she didn’t speak to me, I’d wished that I could turn back time and listened to her as she rushed me out of the Dragon Hotel, our flagship hotel in the Far East.
Dad had gifted me this suite last year after I’d helped him complete the project in Versailles and Japan. It was the first time he and I worked together without Mom’s approval.
Mom was too busy with the expansion in Canada that she asked Dad if he could be the go-to person for the two big projects.
Mason Corem, T & T’s Executive Vice President, had been with T & T Inc. since its formation, and he was responsible for the operations functions of over 200 T&T hotels, vacation resorts, throughout the globe. He’d asked for two months off to be with his wife and their new baby, and Mom, being the understanding president that she was, didn’t have the heart to say no. Other people in the management team could have easily slipped in Mason’s role since Mom only hired the best, but Versailles and Japan were personal for my parents.
Twenty-four years ago I was born in the now-defunct hospital that my mother had the insight of turning into a 120-room luxury hotel overlooking the Royal Domain.
Japan held a piece of my dad’s heart because the site that the hotel was erected from was a few miles away from the Olympic stadium where he had regained his status back as an Olympian.
My dad often joked that he worked for Mom for free, and Mom never failed to riposte that she pays too much for his fighters. The truth was that my parents both worked hard for T & T Inc. and they were passing on the buck to me slowly.
It was a change that I’d been welcoming for as long as I’d known the facets of the businesses that we owned. An empire didn’t last if the people who worked for it didn’t believe in the people who ruled it. My mom was a steadfast president who had the heart
and respect of her people. My dad had the loyalty of everyone who worked for his foundation.
Together they had kept T & T Inc at the top of the Forbes most prolific businesses for fifteen years and running.
And I hoped to continue the tradition and maintain excellence when they handed me the reins.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, and I slowly retracted my hand away from Ali’s shoulder. I lifted her legs, careful not to disrupt her sleep, and placed the plush beige throw blanket over her body.
Without checking who was at the door, I opened it.
Not many people had access to my floor. In order to actually stop on the 54th floor, you had to put in a special code. If you didn’t know the code, the elevator would skip this floor and go to the next one.
“Where’s she?” Nic’s eyes looked worried. My best friend loved his sisters the way I loved mine. “Is she okay? Why is she here?”
Just before I could respond to his inquisition, another figure followed him.
Greyson.
“What happened?” His green eyes had distress written all over them.
Yeah.
He should be tormented.
I didn’t say anything to them as I led them towards the side, bypassing the living room so we could be quiet while I punched a hole into Greyson’s chest.
When we reached the balcony, I lifted my shoulders to ingest the Vegas air. At this height, the air was not as polluted as down below, but it didn’t make it any easier for me to breathe.
I inherited my mother’s eyes, but I also received a healthy dose of my father’s anger.
Nic’s brows were piled on top each other, looking confused, “What happened?”
I shoved Greyson’s shoulder before he had any time to react, making him stumble to the side of the glass before I pulled the glass door closed.
“What the hell is your problem?” Greyson reeled back, dropping Ali’s purse on the leather couch to his left.
“My problem?” I hissed, barely containing my fury now. As soon as I found out that I was fighting Ali inside the cage, I wanted to unleash the beast inside of me on someone.