“What the fuck, Jay?” Zander yells from the top balcony of the stairs. I cringe when I hear the anger in his voice as he thumps his way down the stairs. This kind of stress is the last thing he needs before his fight, and I realize I need to de-escalate this situation fast.
“Babe, go back to bed. I’ll take care of it. There is nothing to see here. Jay was just…” I’m at a loss for words on exactly what Jay was doing. “Well, whatever it was, it’s over now. Go back to sleep. You still have another hour before your alarm goes off.” I make a hand gesture, like I’m swatting a fly.
The bimbo pops her head up over the couch when she hears Zander’s voice and gives him a flirtatious smile. “Well, well, well, if I had known you were here, I would have traded up, sweet cheeks.”
Hell to the no fucking way. Who does this bitch think she is? I march over to her, pull her off the couch by her hair, and march her to the door in all her naked glory.
“You better not be fucking looking!” I shout over my shoulder to Zander.
I open the door and throw her out into the hallway without a care. She’s a big girl, she can figure it out. “Get the fuck out, bitch, and if I ever see you even so much as glance at him again, I’ll fucking cut you!” I slam the door with as much strength as my arms allow. I angrily march back to the living room, where all the boys are currently laughing. Apparently, Kyle decided to join the party while wearing his underwear.
“What the hell, guys? Mixed company present. Go and put some freaking clothes on.” As I’m staring them down, I notice a tent in Kyle’s boxer briefs and quickly look away. Gross.
“I’m sorry to point this out, Kyle, but it’s staring right at me. Please do something about it. Put it away, tuck it somewhere, I don’t care. I do not want to see what any of you are packing.”
“It’s morning,” he mumbles.
I turn and narrow my eyes on Jayden, who is now covering his dick with a throw pillow.
“Is this a fucking brothel? Does the couch just scream I need to fuck a whore here?”
He doesn’t look embarrassed or remorseful, which pisses me right off. “Do I need to throw you out into the hallway too, douchebag? Today isn’t about you! This is Zander’s fight day; the biggest fight of his career, I might add. So, please tell me what the fuck were you thinking when you have a freaking bedroom. This isn’t a frat house.”
I’m breathing heavy as Zander comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. I know he’s trying to calm me down because I’m acting like a shrieking nutcase, but I’ve never really been around a bunch of guys before. It’s all new to me.
“I don’t know what the big deal is. This is what we’ve always done, even Zander.”
I stiffen when he mentions Zander. I know he’s been with a lot of girls, but I don’t need to hear about it or the fact he had no shame in fucking someone publicly. I pull out of Zander’s arms and go upstairs to the bedroom to calm down. As I’m heading up the stairs, I hear Zander yelling at Jayden. Jay’s big mouth is really starting to piss me the hell off.
I’m almost to our bedroom when Zander grabs my elbow and spins me around to face him. I look at the floor since I’m too angry to look him in the eye. “I need some time, Zander. I’m going to go and take a shower.”
He pulls me into a tight hug, not letting me go when I squirm to get free. “Baby, Jay’s a fucking moron. Please don’t listen to him. I don’t want to start out today fighting. I’m going to straighten them all out after we shower together. They aren’t used to having a lady around when we are away at fights. If my mom ever comes to my fights—which is rare because she hates Vegas—she always has a different room because she doesn’t even want to deal with those three. Please, can we start this morning over again?”
I nod my head, knowing he’s skirting around the issue of his supposed public fucking. I don’t really want to hear about it anyway, so I concede. Zander directs me to our room, where we shower. I can’t wait for his fight to be over.
CHAPTER 16
We head downstairs to have breakfast, where hopefully I can salvage what I started earlier. As we round the stairs, I notice all three brothers fully dressed and sitting at the table with food in front of them. They tell us the other two plates at the table are for us, and I eye them skeptically. I can’t make eye contact with Jay, though. I have never walked in on anybody getting it in before, even Ash. There has to be some unwritten rule out there that states not to bang on the couch of a communal living room where other people walk in and out.
As fate would have it, I have to sit right next to him. He nudges my shoulder after I sit down with his own, and when I don’t acknowledge, him he starts to laugh. “Listen Savvy, I know seeing a cock as large and manly as mine has made you speechless. I know what you’re thinking. Why didn’t I get the brother with the gifted dick? Why did I have to get stuck with Zander’s tiny little tallywacker? We have to throw this all on the table so that moving forward, we are not uncomfortable around each other. I know every time you see me you’ll be yearning for my impressive member, but just know I wouldn’t do that to my brother. Bros before hos, right Z?” He holds his hand up, looking for a high five from Zander.
Zander fakes like he’s going in but instead punches him hard in the shoulder. “Motherfucker!! Z, you know I bruise like a peach. Mom is not going to be pleased.” He’s rubbing his shoulder as if someone just shot him.
“The reason why I’m uncomfortable looking at you isn’t because I secretly want to fuck you. I actually feel bad for you, Jay. You didn’t see that chick’s face. She was bored out of her mind waiting for you to be done and stop fucking her like an erratic jackhammer, which I can tell probably takes you all of 30 seconds. Why do you think she was in such awe when she saw Zander? Women who whore around like that have big dick radar, and hers was going off the second Zander entered the room. I can also tell you that seeing the wood Kyle was sporting through his undies earlier was way more impressive than what I saw flopping around on you.” I look at Kyle apologetically. “I mean that in the least creepy way possible. It was just out there, I couldn’t help but look. I would appreciate it if you all wear clothes when I’m around. I think of you all as my brothers, and I don’t want mental images of your dicks, thank you very much.” I dig into my food, starving all of a sudden, and make sure to keep my noises to a minimum for Zander’s sake.
“Baby, I think you fit in just fine with this family. I love that you don’t put up with any of their shit. You are seriously amazing.” He reaches in, giving me a loud kiss on my cheek. “And seriously, putting Jay in his place makes me love you even more.”
We both freeze and look up at each other. I don’t think he meant to let that slip out. He looks down at me with such love in his eyes. “Shit, I didn’t want to say it like this, at a table with my brothers after you just saw half of their dicks. Here, come with me for a second, baby.” He takes my hand, pulls me into the kitchen, picks me up, and puts me on the counter.
“I love you Savvy. Every day we’ve been together has me falling more and more in love with you.” He leans in and kisses me while placing his hands on either side of my face. I kiss him back, trying to convey all of the emotions I’m feeling. As our tongues tangle with each other, I run my fingers through his hair, trying to deepen the kiss. Slowly, he works his hands from my shoulders all the way down to my ass, cupping it and pulling me to the edge of the counter, causing our two most sensitive areas to meet. We pull back after a few minutes, both breathing heavily as I look up into his eyes. “I love you, Zander, so much. I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were a game changer.” His nostrils flare as he crushes his mouth to mine once again, and I softly moan.
“Savvy, I think you’re about to break one of your new rules in there!” I hear Jay yell from the dining room table. We pull apart and start laughing.
“I’ve had a taste of your other life, and I know I can handle it. It will take some time to get used to the money thing, but I’m read
y to go public whenever you decide that is.”
“You make me so fucking happy. Why don’t we do it naturally by not hiding anymore? I’m so fucking thrilled just thinking about showing you off to everyone.”
“Me too,” I whisper back.
Lifting me off of the counter, he picks me up and spins me around. We entwine our fingers together and make our way back to the table, where we are met with a round of applause from Zander’s brothers. I curtsy and sit down to finish my breakfast, staying connected with Zander through his hand in mine that’s resting on my thigh the whole time.
The rest of the day passes by in a blur. I left Zander to his early morning training session and pre-fight rituals. I decided to spend some time with my dad while he’s busy, so we walk around Vegas a bit, which leads us to the casino. I’m starting to think my dad might have a little gambling problem. We get a late lunch at one of the infamous buffets and then head back to our rooms to get ready. I tell him to meet me in the lobby at five o’clock sharp while giving him my narrowed glare. “No funny business, old man. I refuse to be late.”
When I walk into the suite, the air in the room is different. I look around and see the three amigos sitting on the couch, watching a movie. “Hey guys, where’s Zander?”
Kyle looks up at me, clearly not knowing I entered the room. “He’s up in your room, trying to get in the zone. All he does on fight day is listen to music and try to psych himself up.”
They all look toward me with nervousness in their eyes. I guess I’m not the only one a little on edge today. I head up the stairs, hoping I’m not going to bother him or ruin his concentration. Having never gone through a fight day before, I really don’t know what to expect today. As I enter the room, I find him lying in bed with his earbuds in and his eyes closed. He looks like he might be sleeping until his eyes pop open. He pops his head up, sensing movement, and gives me his crooked grin while he takes his earbuds out.
“Hey baby, how was your afternoon?” He gets up and walks over to me, pulling me into a hug.
“It was good. Dad’s going to meet me downstairs at five. When do you leave?” Zander told me he needs to head over to the venue earlier than the rest of us to meet with his trainers, get some press out of the way, then chill out and get in the zone before his fight.
“I’m heading out of here in about ten minutes. I was hoping you’d make it back in time so I could kiss my good luck charm.” He leans down and gives me a scorching hot kiss, and I immediately feel him harden against my stomach.
“I can’t wait until tonight, I’m in a constant state of hardness whenever I’m around you. It’s starting to get fucking painful.”
He steps back and goes to grab his bag while muttering to himself, “Jay’s dick, Kyle’s ass, Jay kissing Josh…” I chuckle, knowing he’s trying to deflate his situation. I lie down on the bed, waiting for him to get all of his stuff together and head out. He leans over me and gives me one last lingering kiss. When he goes to get up, I grab his face between my hands and pull him to me so he’s a couple of inches away. “Good luck, babe. I know you are going to annihilate Alverez. I’m going to be there rooting you on the whole time. I love you.” I give him a quick kiss.
Bringing his forehead to mine, he whispers, “Love you too.” Then he’s up and out the door.
Now that he’s gone, I start to get anxious. What happens if he gets hurt tonight? What if I can’t handle seeing him get hit? I decide to start getting ready to take my mind off the fight. I decide to leave my blonde hair down but curl it off to one side. When I’m done with my hair and makeup, I make my way to the closet to grab my first dress of the night. I look at it on the hanger and sigh. I love this dress. It’s a purple spaghetti strap dress with a form-fitting bodice. It flares out a bit from hip to knee and has a black belt that accentuates my waist. Sliding my feet into black pumps, I finish off my look by adding the necklace Zander bought me yesterday. It matches my outfit perfectly. I love it so much. I look at myself in the mirror and barely recognize who I see. My big green eyes are perfectly accentuated by a smoky eye, and my full lips are colored in a bold red. My normal attire of jeans and a tee are now replaced with this gorgeous dress that accentuates my cleavage perfectly. It’s not often I dress up, but I can’t help but hope Zander loves it.
As I start down the stairs, I hear hoots and hollers from Zander’s brothers in the living room, and I start to laugh as heat flames up my cheeks. They are all standing around the living room waiting for me, and they’re all dressed up. Well, dressed up for them, I suppose. They are all wearing dress pants with a dress shirt, tie, and vest, all in a different color.
“Don’t you boys clean up well?” I walk over to them and kiss them all on the cheek. “Are any of you even half as nervous as I am? I think I need a drink or 20 to get through tonight.” As if they knew I was going to say that, Kyle leans down and grabs everyone a shot glass from the coffee table.
“This is tradition for us before a fight. You are now a part of our family, so you get added to the tradition. Raise your glass up for Zander going into beast mode tonight and kicking the shit out of that pussy!”
I notice that Kyle took a shot, and I look at him with narrowed eyes.
“It’s tradition! I’m only going to do one. These idiots always make me the DD.”
I shrug my shoulders, and we all yell, “To Zander!” and pound the shots back. I cringe as it burns going down, causing me to cough a couple of times.
“What the fuck is that? Ahhh…” They all start laughing at me.
“And you call yourself a bartender. It’s Jäger!” Jay says as I cough through the burn.
“Ah, I fucking hate black licorice! Does this tradition only involve Jäger? I cannot do that again.” They all laugh as we leave the suite to go find my dad in the lobby.
We find him looking pretty dashing in his new suit as he talks to the concierge. He has had the same suit since before my mom died, and he’s never wanted to get another because it’s the one he wore to their wedding. Seeing my dad standing there in the new suit he bought before we left brings tears to my eyes. I’m so happy that after all of this time, he’s finally moving on. He deserves to be happy.
“Baby girl, you look beautiful.” He bends down and kisses my cheek, then holds out his arm for me to grab as we head out of the hotel. “Just don’t embarrass me tonight. If you aren’t sure what you should do, don’t do anything at all. I don’t want to be blacklisted after my first MMA fight.”
“Thanks for being here, Dad. I don’t know what I would have done without you,” I say sarcastically.
When we get outside, there’s a limo out front with Tim standing next to the door. As we walk toward it, I hear the paparazzi whispering about Zander’s brothers, and I even hear someone question if they have seen me before. Looking to my left, I see that slimy photographer from yesterday with his camera aimed at me. I look away quickly, trying not to give him the shot.
We get in the limo without an issue, and before I know it, we are headed for the venue. I pull out my phone and shoot Ash a quick text. I’ve been keeping her updated on everything I’ve done the past few days, which has her inquiring about Josh’s whereabouts most of the time. I think she’s at the point where she’s ready to give him a chance, but she wants to see what he’s like when he’s in the city of sin. I took a pic of Josh in the lobby and shoot it off to Ashlyn on our ride. I immediately get a text back saying fucking hell woman, I think I need to change my panties! followed by the kissy face emoji. Swearing Josh to secrecy, I show him her response. He immediately gets a sappy grin on his face and puffs out his chest a little more. I want to show him she’s just as smitten and that he’s not the only one invested in their relationship, even if I’m slightly breaking girl code.
We arrive at the venue and are ushered in by security. I guess Zander wants a bodyguard on us in case Julio decides to try something at the last minute. After the weigh-in, I asked him what upset him so much. He wouldn’t tell me e
xactly what Julio said, just that it was a misogynistic remark about me. It makes me so mad that we’ve been so careful, yet he still found out about us. I’m sure he paid someone at the hotel off to watch Zander, so when they saw us together they put two and two together.
As soon as we take our seats, it’s time for the first fight. Right on time. As each fight takes place, my anxiety gets higher and higher. A guy already had to get carted off to the hospital by ambulance because he was down for the count and wouldn’t wake up. Not to mention, every single fighter has probably left the ring needing stitches somewhere on their face.
As the main event approaches, my nerves are a mess and I pray Zander doesn’t get hurt.
CHAPTER 17
Everyone starts cheering as the main event starts. The lights cut out in the arena, and a video of Zander plays over the Jumbotron. It makes me a little emotional seeing clips from some of his important fights playing. In between the clips are shots of Zander talking about his thoughts on the fight and his opponent. He has the right amount of swagger and humility when he talks, making me see why he’s the fan favorite.
The place goes into a deafening roar as the lights go up and Rob Zombie’s “Dragula” comes blasting through the speakers. My dad leans in and yells in my ear that this is Zander’s entrance song. He doesn’t appear until the chorus of the song starts, and if it’s possible, everyone goes even crazier. I start cheering like a lunatic and jump up and down, screaming my head off with the rest of them, my dad, Josh, Jay, and Kyle included. Zander’s bouncing around as he makes his way down the aisle that leads to the cage, screaming and looking like he’s fully in the zone. We have great seats right in the front, right where Zander will be walking by us to get to the octagon.
Finally, he gets to the front row and rounds the corner heading toward us. When he reaches his brothers and my dad, he pulls them into a group hug while they all scream, getting pumped up. When he gets to me, he surprises the shit out of me when he pulls me flush with his body, cups my ass, and lays one hell of a kiss on me in front of the whole arena. Pulling away much too soon, he gives me a wicked smile and winks. In a daze, I wish him good luck as he makes his way to the entrance. I smile to myself, realizing the cat’s out of the bag now.
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