by Nikki Wild
The second our plane touched down back in Atlas I knew that I was going to make this work. She showed she could keep up. I didn’t have any doubts about her now.
The biggest fight of my life was on the horizon but I couldn’t push her to the back burner. She wasn’t the type of girl who would put up with it. I would have to work to keep her. To make her mine. That part of her is what drove me so crazy. She was so driven. It was like a piece of her personality that had been buried for years was starting to resurface. Maybe she had lost it when she was with her asshole ex. Maybe she had to suppress it because of that mind-numbing job.
Either way, she was finding it and the two of us together would be unstoppable.
Twenty-Seven
Bria
I was looking forward to going back to work. It was weird, but as I walked toward the office building I couldn’t help but feel excited. There was something about that vacation that put me into gear. I was nervous about taking the bar but now more than ever I felt confident I would pass.
I took the stairs two at a time as I headed toward Jones’ office. I wanted to thank him again for letting me off work. He deserved to know how much good the time had done for me. I wanted to tell him that I was ready to work harder than ever and be a huge asset to the firm.
Luke stayed the night at my place after we got back from the airport. When he dropped me off I could tell he wanted to stay just as much as I wanted him to... We put a movie on and before I knew it we drifted off to sleep.
When I got up for work this morning he was gone. I wasn’t surprised because he told me the last few days of preparation for his fight were going to be intense. He probably went for a run or something. The man was a machine.
Over the past two weeks we talked about our future together. We both wanted to travel and he even talked about kids. I would get my license to practice law and he would continue to fight. Everything seemed to fit so perfectly.
Jones wasn’t in his office. I could see from the top of the stairs that his lights were off. Normally, on Monday mornings he was the first one in the building.
“Hey Christine,” I called to his assistant. “Is Mr. Jones in this morning?”
Christine was probably in her early thirties but carried herself like a much older woman. She wore drab clothes that hung off her skinny frame. To put it mildly, the woman was a strict professional. To put it realistically would be to say that she was an anal retentive, by-the-book, straight-up authoritarian.
Either way, she wasn’t my favorite person around the office.
“I’m guessing you haven’t taken the time to check your email this morning, Miss Hudson.”
She pushed her glasses up on her nose the way she always did.
“No. No I didn’t. But I just got back from vacation so I thought I would-.”
“Well if you would have read your email you would already know that Mr. Jones is attending to a personal matter this morning. He’ll be in his office by noon.”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you.”
I started to make my way back down the stairs.
“And Miss Hudson?”
The sound of her voice grated on my nerves.
“Yes?”
“In the future, please be sure to review all company emails at your earliest opportunity. That way we can avoid any further miscommunications.”
“Okay, I’ll be sure to…” but she had already turned to answer her phone.
Sometimes I liked to think about what would happen if I just grabbed the back of that expensive ergonomic chair and rolled her right off the top step.
Would she scream?
Would she curse?
Probably neither. Before she even hit the floor I’m sure she would be writing the memo in her head about how ‘office horse play is strictly forbidden.’ She’d scold the other employees for coming to her aid instead of doing their jobs. Then, she’d direct the EMTs on the proper response and the most efficient way to get to the hospital.
Whatever. She was a good match for Jones’ own extremely detailed ways… And really, not even Christine could bring me down today.
I found my desk buried under a mountain of paperwork. On first glance I guessed it would take me at least two days just to file it all. The other paralegals gave me apologetic looks, yet none of them offered to help me get caught up.
After a few rounds of ‘hellos’ and all the other pleasantries, I settled in for a long day of work. Whenever anyone asked about my vacation I gave them a very vague, ‘PG’ version of events. Nobody seemed to know that I was dating the city’s most famous resident and for now, I intended for it to stay that way.
My phone rang at ten on the dot.
“Wow, Luke. Calling me at work already? I didn’t think you’d be the needy type.”
“Needy? The only thing I ‘needy’ is to fuck you over your boss’s desk after the lights go off.”
I almost spit my coffee out on a stack of depositions.
“Don’t make me laugh while I’m at work. This a serious office with a lot of serious people, apparently. If I start laughing they’re going to know I’m not one of them.”
“Yeah, well, when I first met you I thought you were one of the more serious people I’d ever met.”
“Aw, but then you got to know me, didn’t you handsome? Besides, when I met you, I thought you were just another meathead.”
“Ouch. Meathead? That’s pretty rough. How about you buy me lunch today to make up for that little comment?”
“I could do lunch. What time?”
“I’ll pick you up around eleven-thirty.”
“Okay. That’s perfect. I’ll see you then.”
“Sounds good. Bye lawyer.”
“Bye Meathead.”
As I set my phone down I had to take a sly look over my shoulder to make sure no one had been eavesdropping on our conversation. I don’t know why it bothered me to show my personality around this place, but it did.
The time went by in a flash. Before I knew it, Luke was texting to let me know he was on his way. I hadn’t even put a dent in my paperwork.
Purse and coat in hand, I made my way down to the lobby to wait for him.
I was playing around with my phone when he came from behind and slipped his arms around my waist.
“Mmm. It feels like you’re wearing nothing at all under this skirt.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine. It was Kevin.
I tore myself from his grip, swinging my purse at him as I separated.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I tried my best to whisper so no one would hear. “I thought you were in jail.”
“They let me out that night. It was all one big misunderstanding. My name is on the lease… Or did you forget that we rented that place together? You don’t go to jail every time you lose your key and get locked out of your home.”
“That’s not your home, and you didn’t lose your key. I took it from you!”
“Enough with the games, Bri. It’s time to put our lives back together. You’re not doing yourself any favors by keeping up with this hard to get routine.”
“Are you crazy or just stupid? I don’t want anything to do with you. I can’t say it any plainer than that.”
“I think you should reconsider. It’s in your best interest.” The tone in his voice held a hint of anger.
“Is that supposed to be some kind of threat? You’re not going to pressure me into anything. You shouldn’t even be here.”
I was starting to lose control of my volume. This was a conversation that I really didn’t need right now. Especially at work.
“But, since you are here, do you want to explain to me why you came to my house with a gun?”
He took a step toward me with his hands raised in surrender. In the better light I could see a mark right between his eyes from where I’d hit him with the stapler.
“I have a concealed carry permit,” he said as he inched closer. “I always have a gun… You never can be too careful. I assure you it’s pe
rfectly legal. The police returned it to me as soon as they got done apologizing for wrongful imprisonment.”
He couldn’t intimidate me like he did last time because there were too many people around. I stepped away from him again, putting a bit of distance between us.
“Wrongful imprisonment? How is getting arrested trying to force your way into my house with a fucking gun wrongful imprisonment?”
“Listen, I was-”
“Drunk?” I interrupted.
“No. I was missing you. I wanted to surprise you. And the gun…”
I could see he had a lie prepared. Good lawyers always did.
“The gun,” he continued, “is for my protection. I have a pissed off ex-client who’s gone off his meds and he’s been sending me threatening emails. I keep it with me… just in case, ya know?”
“That’s such a lie and you know it.”
“Well what else was I going to do with it?”
I gasped as he grabbed my wrist with his fingertips digging in hard. “For Christ sakes Bri, do you think I was going to shoot you or something?”
“There you are beautiful!”
Luke stepped between the two of us, knocking Kevin back and causing him to lose his grip. He turned calmly, cupping my chin in his hands. I hadn’t even seen him coming.
“Hey Bro,” said Kevin, “I don’t know where the fuck you grew up but you don’t just step in between two people while they’re talking.”
Luke stared thoughtfully into my eyes. In that moment, Kevin seemed about as insignificant as a house fly.
“I’m all about going to that pop-up around the corner. Their whole menu is pretty healthy. I think I can get salmon there.”
“Hey! Asshole! Can you hear me? We were in the middle of something.”
Kevin was seething.
“Good. Let’s go,” I said, taking his arm and pulling toward the door. I wanted to be anywhere other than here.
Kevin quickly side-stepped to cut us off. Luke stayed as cool as a cucumber.
“Where do you think you’re going? I don’t know if your ears work or not but WE ARE HAVING A CONVERSATION.” He said it obnoxiously, making sure to exaggerate the movement of his mouth on every word.
Luke continued to move us away.
“And since you seem fucking dense, I’ll need you to keep your hand off my girlfriend’s fucking hip.” He reached out and slapped Luke’s hand off of me.
I waited for Luke to say something but he just stood there with an amused look on his face. He put his arm back around my waist.
“Kevin! Enough!” I snapped.
By this time people were taking notice. Everyone from the janitor to Clara at the front desk had an ear on our conversation while they pretended to work.
“If you don’t get the hell out of here right now I’ll have security take you out. Oh, and you better believe that as soon as I get off work today I’m going to start the process on a restraining order.”
“You’re not gonna do shit, you fucking bitch.”
When Kevin’s fist lashed out toward my face, Luke sprang into action.
I was sent spinning like a top as he flung me out of harm’s way. Kevin lashed out at Luke angrily, and that had clearly been a mistake. When I regained my bearings, I saw Luke land what hand to be the third or fourth punch in rapid succession. It connected solidly with the bridge of Kevin’s nose and did far more damage than I’d done with the stapler.
When Kevin gathered what little courage he had and charged forward, Luke deftly dodged to his left and smacked him behind the ear with a looping blow. It sent Kevin sliding across the floor on his belly.
The sound of people yelling is what brought me back to reality. It took me a minute to find my voice.
“Luke! Stop it! He’s not worth it.”
But Luke didn’t stop.
“Get the fuck up,” he growled at Kevin though clenched teeth. “You think it’s okay to hit a woman? I think it’s time you learn a little respect.”
Kevin crawled to his hands and knees in obvious pain. Blood was streaming from a cut above his eye. Against all reason he squared his shoulders and started to move forward.
I heard someone from behind me say the cops were on the way.
Kevin staggered forward and took a sloppy swing. Luke ducked it and hit him with a combination of punches to the ribs.
All of the air seemed to come out of him and he dropped to one knee. Luke grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him close.
“Leave. Her. Alone… Am I making myself perfectly clear?” Luke whispered with a deadly tone in his voice.
“What the hell is going on down here?” It was my boss. He was standing near the sign-in desk and he had a couple of very important seeming clients in tow. The shocked looks on their faces told me more than I wanted to know about how much they’d seen.
“Mr. Jones… I, there…,” I struggled to find the right words.
“Bria, do you know these men?” He hurried to my side.
“Oh my goodness, Kevin? Is that you?”
Kevin was a dripping mess as Luke let him fall to the floor. He clutched at his pulverized ribs. Jones ran up next to him and offered his hand.
“Who are you?” Mr. Jones demanded, while casting an angry glare.
Luke took a step back and looked to me for explanation.
I was furious. I didn’t know why he would fly off the handle the way he did. A silence fell over the room. It took all of my willpower to hold back the tears.
Everything I’d worked for was now hanging in the balance because of this. I didn’t know if I’d ever get the partners to respect me after bringing this mess into their building.
“Get out of here!” I snapped. “Both of you! Don’t ever come back here do you understand me?”
“Bria, he was going to-” The hurt that creased Luke’s face made my heart ache as I cut him off.
“Both of you are out of control. I don’t want excuses. I want you both out of this office!”
The words flew from my mouth out of anger. Something felt really wrong inside and if not for my fuming anger and embarrassment, I would have regretted it immediately.
“That’s right,” echoed Jones. “Leave this instant. We will be pressing charges regarding this vicious attack.”
Luke took a couple of steps backwards, then turned and walked out of the building.
I ran down to the records room and cried my eyes out.
Twenty-Eight
Luke
What the hell am I doing?
My legs chewed up the pavement on the way up heart-rate-hill. I always trained better when I was mad.
This is the reason they tell you not to get involved with anybody before a big fight.
After I left Bria’s office I went straight back to the gym. The guys started to bug me with questions.
Why you back so soon?
Thought you and your little hottie were getting lunch. What happened?
I made up some bullshit about her not being able to get out of work. I hated making excuses.
So I went for a run to clear my head.
Did she really tell me to never come back?
But why? That guy was a douchebag. It had to be her ex. Kevin was his name. The guy took a swing at her. What did she expect me to do, sit there and watch the show?
I didn’t give a fuck about him talking to me that way. I had no reason to. People try to get me to react all the time. I was used to it. Something about running your mouth to an MMA fighter made little pussies like him feel strong. I was above all that bullshit…
But there was no way I could let it slide when it came to my woman. Anybody who wanted to lay a finger on her could expect to lose a few teeth.
So why the hell did she freak out like that? I thought she was over that god damned job anyway.
I had crested the hill and started on the downside without even realizing it. It was my second run of the day and I seemed to be going at a faster pace. My opponent was gonna
have to deal with the consequences of all this work. On fight night I’d be as lean as I’d ever been.
I sprinted through the business park, my anger fueling me just as much as my desire to win. When I made it back to the parking lot I felt like I had enough energy to do the whole thing again. I almost did, too, if not for my guy Nick waving me over. I coasted to a stop and leaned on his pickup to stretch my hamstrings.
“God damn, Luke. You’re gonna run some holes into those fuckin’ shoes.”
“What the hell are you eating?” I asked.
He was shoving some kind of chocolate mess into his mouth.
“Protein sandwich,” he said.
“A… what?”
“Protein sandwich.” There was a glob of goo on his chin that made him look like a two-year-old.
“I take two protein bars and use them as ‘bread’ for my peanut butter.”
“You’re fucking gross,” I said, shaking my head. Nick had a way about him that always worked to lighten my mood.
A long-legged brunette with bouncing tits ran up to his side. He ignored her.
“Naw,” he continued, “It’s the easiest way to hit my macros. I can’t get huge unless I’m stuffin’ the protein.”
“Why don’t you take me back to your place and stuff me?” squealed the brunette.
He shot me a look that I’d already seen too many times.
“Whaddaya say big man? I bet she has a friend.”
The girl puckered her lips and gave me a pouty stare. I’d seen that look too many times as well.
“I think you already know the answer. But hey, I can’t fault you for trying.”
“Aww,” whined the girl. “Why not? It’ll be a lot of fun.”
I nodded at Nick and turned to the gym. As I walked away I could hear her start to argue with him. It was something about him not remembering her name. If I heard right, he told her it didn’t matter. Apparently he was right because she still left with him.
I tossed my shirt in the hamper as the office door swung shut behind me. There was a stack of promotional posters on the desk that I was supposed to sign and return to the promoter. Until you sign two hundred and fifty posters, there’s no way you can understand just how bad it hurts your hand. If they were for kids or charity or something, I’d already have done it. But the promoter just gave them out to sponsors and his connected friends so I didn’t really care.