by Ella Jade
“I’m a jerk?” Silvio said with a smirk as he took a step closer.
“Yes.”
Sabrina eyed him as he took another step closer. A spark flickered in his dark brown eyes. When his fingers grazed her jaw, and followed it to the point of her chin, there was no holding back the warm shudder that ran up her spine. How could such a simple touch leave her mouth dry and her breath taken?
“Am I a jerk because I don’t want to wait to see you again? You’re here now, looking as gorgeous as ever, so let me take you out to lunch?”
He doesn’t want to wait to see me. The thought made her swoon a bit. “Of course you can take me to lunch.”
“I have a couple of conditions,” Silvio said, slipping his hands around her waist as she settled her hands on his shoulders, waiting. “You promise to try and have a good time, and if I ask you out on a second date, you let me pick you up.”
Fucking jerk. Sabrina rolled her eyes. The problem was he wasn’t a jerk. Those had to be the simplest requests a man had ever made. But they were also sweet and sincere and almost innocent. It felt real, and real had been majorly lacking in her life.
Chapter 3
Silvio parked in front of the modest house sitting less than ten minutes off the Vegas Strip, but it might as well have been a different world. All suburbs and subdivisions, very family friendly and welcoming. Turning off the engine, he heard the ping of the cellphone inside his blazer.
Sabrina: I see your car. I’m just finishing up. I’ll be right out.
Silvio scowled, shaking his head at the message. This princess with all of her rules made him want to turn around and leave. He’d told himself a thousand times since meeting her that he should just forget her. And a thousand more times when she started barking crazy rules about dates, and who she dates, and where she goes on dates. Try as he might, she was one thing he couldn’t take one day at a time. She haunted his dreams. When she’d shown up at the gym he had been flattered, even though she’d brought her sassy mouth with her. But when he’d wrapped his hands around her slim waist, and her gentle hands rested on his shoulders, he’d felt like a real man.
He’d been surprised when she agreed to the lunch date. He wasn’t big on games, but even he would admit he’d been testing her. On their lunch outing she’d been the girl he had met before, the one at the events. The one who made him want to look forward and see more than one day at a time. But the text message was the other girl, the princess with the rules and restrictions on how they could go out. She wanted him to pull up to the curb and wait for her like some high school boy looking to score. Silvio knew most people couldn’t see past the fact he was a fighter and judge him for that. But he had class, and even if he hadn’t had that, he had manners.
Swiftly, he exited the car, taking the steps up to her house two at a time. When Silvio reached the door, he paused to straighten his suit before knocking.
* * * *
Sabrina heard the knock on the door from upstairs and instantly felt her heart fall to her stomach. She swallowed hard. She’d texted Silvio she would be out in a minute, but now he was in the house talking to Mama, and that couldn’t be good. Sabrina and her mother didn’t see eye to eye on many things, and most often Sabrina decided it was better for Mama not to know everything. Tonight she’d said she was going out to dinner with a friend. She knew Mama would assume Ashley or Lindsay. She didn’t lie, she just omitted the truth.
Sabrina had planned on being out on the curb waiting for Silvio, but she got held up trying to decide what to wear. The only thing he’d told her about where they were going was that it was a five-star restaurant. She’d put on her favorite black cocktail mini-dress, the one that hugged her curves perfectly. The little black dress to end all little black dresses, it reached just below her ass, and barely covered the ladies up top. No man had ever said no to that dress. But the woman looking back at her from the mirror was not the girl Silvio had asked out. He had asked out the real Sabrina, and tonight she wanted to make sure he got her. In all her classy splendor.
Settling on something more conservative but still sexy, she made her way downstairs. She shouldn’t have been surprised when she saw Mama sitting on the couch next to Silvio with a big smile on her face. Silvio was charming. Rarely did she get to see that side of him, but it was her own fault. He mostly got her bitchy side, and when she did that, she was met with his domineering side. But what had her hooked were those few moments when she allowed herself to be free and enjoy the now with him. Not worrying about the future or her grand plans. Silvio made her stop and think about the woman she really wanted to be, the bigger picture of life, more than just work.
Sabrina shook off her thoughts, pulling herself together. She wasn’t ready for a fight with him tonight on their first official date, but she was irritated that he couldn’t do one simple thing. Sabrina cleared her throat as she reached the last step, and both Mama and Silvio stood.
“I said you could wait in the car for me.” Sabrina leveled her eyes at Silvio who was grinning like a fool.
“And as a gentleman, I couldn’t do that. And Mama agrees with me,” Silvio said, gesturing toward Mama.
Mama! He’s already calling her Mama! Her mother was already getting cozy with Silvio, and she didn’t even know him. Mama was usually suspicious of men, especially the ones who wanted to date her baby girl, which was one of the reasons Sabrina never brought a man home.
“Did he tell you that he’s a fighter?” Sabrina felt the heat in her cheeks as anger boiled inside of her. When Silvio countered with a smug smile she wanted to scream with rage.
“Oh yes, baby. He is such a sweet boy. He introduced himself like a proper man, told me about his job, and where he would like to take you tonight,” Mama said, clapping her hands together with excitement.
“Did he tell you that he’s one of Gavril’s best friends?” Sabrina didn’t know what had come over her. She felt like an insolent child, but something about her mother’s approval, and Silvio actively trying to suck up to Mama, angered her so much.
“Of course! My sweet Gavril would only hang out with the most respectable boys.” Mama smiled before turning to Silvio. “Go. Go. You’ll miss your reservations. And no matter how nice of a boy you are, my baby has a one AM curfew.” Mama placed a hand gently on Silvio’s arm. “She might be a growing woman, but she’s still my baby and we have rules in this house.”
“Of course, Mama,” Silvio said sweetly.
Sabrina headed for the door, not waiting for Silvio to follow, and she didn’t stop until she made it to the passenger side of his car. She folded her arms across her chest as she waited for Silvio.
“What the hell is your problem?” Silvio demanded.
“How dare you! Should I go in and tell Mama how a real gentleman is talking to her daughter right now?”
“I don’t care what the fuck you tell her. I’m not taking you anywhere until you tell me what happened,” he said, shrugging one shoulder.
“I asked you to wait in the car, and what do you do? You come inside and suck up to my mom.”
“That’s what this is about? Because I wasn’t a jerk who honked the horn like you were some high school slut?”
* * * *
Smack. The tiny hand hit his cheek harder than he would have expected it to. Not that he would ever in his wildest dreams think he would be slapped by Sabrina. He shook his head, moving his jaw around, and touched his face. He could feel the hot spot spreading. Silvio knew he deserved every bit of that slap. He had been way out of line.
He looked over at Sabrina. She had her head down, examining her hand, and a silent tear ran down her cheek. Guilt hit.
“Hey.” He took a step toward her, but she turned away. “I’m sorry. I was way out of line. I could make a million excuses, but I won’t. You don’t deserve that.”
Silvio was angry with himself. How had this night gone to shit so fast? He thought he’d done everything right. Picked her up at the door, talked politely with h
er mother. Good guy stuff. He knew some women liked jerks, a ridiculous notion, but he didn’t want to be that way with Sabrina. Sure, she pushed his buttons, and he didn’t take her shit, but he never wanted to make her cry.
“Please look at me so I can apologize.” He gently tugged on her arm, turning her around.
She let him pull her into an encompassing hug. Silvio nuzzled her hair, inhaling her intoxicating scent. He rubbed his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her. He pulled out of the embrace and tipped her chin up so she was looking at him.
“I would never call you a slut, and I don’t think you are. I’m really into you, and I wanted to show you that. I was raised that you pick a lady up at her door, and is it so bad that I might want your mom to like me?”
Sabrina pulled away from him, wiping the tears off her cheeks, and tossed her hair back. “You’re a jerk.”
“I am a jerk.” He paused to see if she was going to say anything else. “Am I a jerk that you’re going to let take you out to dinner?”
“Only if you tell me you’re sorry, that you’ll never do it again. And you tell me I’m gorgeous,” she said with a fake pout and her hand on her hip.
Silvio mimicked Sabrina by putting his hand on his hip and then watched as a wide smile pulled across her face. It seemed that she had made a full recovery from her earlier anger.
“I’m a jerk. It will never happen again. And you are the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. You’re also bat-shit crazy, in a hot sort of way,” Silvio teased as he opened the passenger side door for her. “What were you trying to do in there, have your mom tell your brother to kick my ass?”
“I’m gonna let the crazy comment slide,” she said as she slipped into the car.
* * * *
Silvio gently caressed the small of Sabrina’s back before pulling out her chair, and after that dinner seemed to fly by. The wait staff was excellent, and the dinner was even better. He and Sabrina had kept the conversation light in the beginning. Though they’d already had a lunch date, tonight was their first real date. Silvio rubbed his hand down his pant leg, resting it at his bouncing knee. He could get into a ring to fight another man without a second thought, but a pretty girl gave him first-date jitters.
“So, fighting...why do you do it?” Sabrina asked.
“This will sound bad, but I like getting in the ring and knowing it’s me or him. Someone is going to get the shit beat out of them—it’s cathartic. There is nothing like getting hit in the face to show you what you’re really made of.”
Silvio grinned at the shocked expression on Sabrina’s face. If she wanted to be with him, then she needed the truth. He loved fighting. All its grit and dirt from the trash talking in press interviews to the nasty leg kicks while trying to inflict injury on your opponent. But he was also the guy who shook hands after the fight, showing good sportsmanship. After all, it was a sport, and without an opponent he wouldn’t be able to do what he loved.
Silvio shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “It’s also more of a skill than people give it credit for. I have to use all of my senses and think fast on my feet. Each fight is different too, so I have to go in with a different game plan to win each time. But I’m really not driven by the title belt.”
“Why not? Isn’t that the point?” Sabrina asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Maybe for some. I’m not against it, but I take my career one fight at a time. My focus is today, and doing better than my last fight. I want each one to be exciting enough for people to remember who I am. Besides, everyone can’t be the champ. I’m thankful that at twenty-four I get to do my dream job. And it pays more than enough for my simple life.” Silvio gave Sabrina a wink before picking up his beer and taking a sip.
“I should probably apologize for that comment,” she said sheepishly. “And for back at the house. I might have overreacted a bit.”
“Only if you do it in Russian.”
“Ah, well, that is one of the very few phrases that I do know. My brothers were teenagers when we moved here, but I was maybe four. I can understand a lot of it, but I don’t speak much.” Sabrina flashed a wide smile, tilting her head just a bit. “Nрости.”
“We moved here from Brazil when I was thirteen. I speak Portuguese fluently. My family still has a home there that we visit, and lots of family.”
“Pardon me,” the waiter interrupted. “Chocolate soufflé for the lady, and tarte tatin for the gentleman. Can I get you anything else?”
“Sabrina, another drink?” Silvio asked.
“No, I’m good, thank you.”
Silvio dismissed the waiter and gave Sabrina a wide-eyed smile. “Look at this dessert. What have we gotten ourselves into? I’m in training, Rex is going to have a fit if he finds out about this.”
Sabrina giggled. “You train six hours a day. I’m pretty sure you could eat fast food every day, and still make weight easily.”
Silvio shrugged. “Enough about me. What about you?”
“What about me?” she asked before taking a delicate bite of the soufflé.
“I know you have an empire that you aspire for, but what is it exactly?”
“I have my own channel on YouTube. I do video blogs about hair, makeup, fashion, and trends. Really anything I want. I have quite a nice following, but it’s something I’m always trying to build on.”
“It surprises me that people actually make money doing that.” Silvio shook his head at the idea.
“I know, right? I had no clue going into it, but it’s pretty great. The best part is now that I’m getting real notoriety I have clothing designers sending me clothes in hopes that I’ll wear them or talk about them. If things keep going this well, in a couple years I’ll have made enough to buy a house and pay it off in full.”
“But you still live at home with your mom?”
Sabrina gave him a sheepish smile. “It’s just me and her. I can’t leave her. I’m only twenty-one, and it isn’t so bad living at home. It would be worse if I lived on my own, because my brothers would drop by randomly, and Mama would pop over unexpectedly. It’s funny, but living at home I get more privacy than not, I’m sure of it.”
“So when are you planning this escape of buying your own place?”
“I’ll leave eventually. I plan on getting married and having kids. What about you, any of that in your future? Or past?” Sabrina scrunched her eyebrows when she asked the personal question.
“Subtle.” Silvio shook his head. “I don’t have any kids, and I’ve never been married. I’m not sure I will. It’s not really one of those things I think about much. I really just keep my head down and focus on today.”
“Commitment phobia?”
“No, not that. I guess it’s more like I want to avoid disappointment. I live today and then see what tomorrow brings.”
“Interesting,” Sabrina said as she reached over and took a spoonful of his dessert.
Silvio smiled and shook his head at the confusing woman. The night had started out like shit, and now it was easily one of the best dates he had ever had. He was really into this girl, but there was so much more to her than the act she put on. He almost started to like it that way, he got to see all the best pieces of her, even the ones that she hid from the world. But they couldn’t stay in this bubble forever. Shit. Today, just today, not forever. One day at a time. This girl had definitely done something to his head in such a short amount of time.
“I’m done,” Sabrina said, taking him out of his thoughts, as she pushed the plate away. “That was an amazing dinner. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
Sabrina pulled her cellphone from her bag for the first time that night, which surprised Silvio. She hadn’t checked it at any point during dinner.
“It’s only ten-thirty. What’s next?” Sabrina asked in an upbeat tone. She leaned forward against the table.
Next? Dinner was the date he’d planned. A five-course meal taking about three hours, he’d expected that to
be good enough. But now he was kicking himself for not planning something more exciting.
“Sorry, princess, this is all I had planned. But we can take a walk on the Strip and see if we run across anything fun.”
“Or we could go to your place?”
Silvio swallowed hard. Taking Sabrina back to his house was extremely enticing, but tonight wasn’t the night for that. He didn’t know how to tell her that without hurting her feelings. Rejection hurt, but now wasn’t the time or place for this conversation.
“How about we go for a drive? The Red Rock Canyon isn’t far, and even at this time of night it’s beautiful.”
He watched as the expression on Sabrina’s face fell. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip before catching it in her teeth. He could see her contemplating his suggestion.
“Okay, that sounds nice.” A smile split across her face, and her blue eyes lit up as she leaned across the table. He couldn’t help but admire her perfect breasts as they pressed against the table, and the sight made his cock twitch. “Just know the car can’t save you from me. It didn’t last time, and it won’t this time.”
Fuck. Silvio was half-mast at the idea of getting all tangled up with the beautiful blonde in the back seat of his car. Keeping both of his heads on straight would be the challenge of a lifetime.
Chapter 4
“I don’t like your friends.” Sabrina pouted from the passenger seat of Silvio’s parked car. She had tried to hint at the fact that she wasn’t interested in hanging out with his friends, but Silvio either didn’t get the hint, or just ignored it. She assumed it was the latter.
“You haven’t even met them.”
“I don’t want to. Let’s go somewhere else.” Sabrina had reluctantly agreed to come out. It’d been almost a week since she’d been out with Silvio, because training ate up all of his time. They talked on the phone and texted often, but she was excited he’d found time to see her.