“Speaking of . . . there’s a note on the bed addressed to both of us.”
“A personalized hotel welcome, I’m betting.”
“No. It’s in Amery’s handwriting.” Molly clasped his hand and towed him into the bedroom. She ripped open the sealed envelope, pulled out the card, and read:
Molly and Deacon~
Glad to have you here, but don’t get too comfy after you check in. Maddox is sending a car for Deacon and the other fighters right away. Molly, we’re in the Monroe Ballroom on the first floor. Come down as soon as you can.
A~
“There goes my plan for a quickie.”
“Use your sexual frustration to hit harder during training today.”
Deacon kissed the back of her head. “Good plan. Let’s head back down.”
The keycards were in holders on the catchall table by the front door. He handed her one and tucked his inside his front pocket.
While they waited for the elevator, Deacon caged her against the wall so they were face-to-face. He had that fierce look in his eye.
Her belly jumped. “What?”
“Plan on bein’ naked the moment we get back to the room tonight. Plan on bein’ sore tomorrow, because I’m gonna fuck you on every horizontal surface.”
“You trying to get me wet and horny right now?”
“Yep. Figured it was only fair, since I’m hard as fucking concrete after seeing how hot your ass looks in those pants as you bent over to get your purse.”
The elevator dinged.
When Deacon pushed back, Molly saw Presley standing behind him, wearing a huge grin.
“Hey, guys.”
“You get a note with instructions too?”
“We all did. Beck is in the room next to mine and Ronin wants him at the dojo, so he said not to leave without him.”
The elevator door closed.
No one got in the car until the eighth floor. An inked bruiser wearing workout clothes stood in the middle of the car.
Deacon stiffened beside her.
The man’s eyes and Deacon’s met in the mirror. He scowled. “Whatcha lookin’ at?”
“You weren’t that bulked up the last time we met in the ring, Twitch. What are the chances you’ll pass a drug test this time?”
“Con Man. Thought you dropped off the face of the earth. Haven’t heard nothin’ about you in a long fuckin’ time.”
“Same goes.”
“Probably ’cause I don’t go by Twitch no more.”
“Yeah? What’s your ring name now?”
“Bulldozer.”
“Tyrese ‘Bulldozer’ Witchell? Who came up with that mouthful?”
“My publicist. She said I needed a name with impact. Nothin’ll knock you down faster than a bulldozer.” He punched his left palm with his right fist as a demonstration.
Wow. This dude was the poster child for big and dumb. Molly didn’t dare look at Presley or they’d both laugh.
“You here for the expo?” Bulldozer asked.
“Just as support for my club and my dojo. I’m not fighting. What about you?”
“The UFC is scouting me for their light heavyweight division.”
“No shit?”
“It’s basically a done deal.” He gave Deacon a pitying look. “Some of us have what it takes. Most of you don’t.”
The elevator doors opened. Bulldozer lumbered out.
“You have real winners for friends, Con Man. I’m hurt you didn’t introduce me,” Presley said with a pout. “The tat on the back of his neck said No Regerts.”
“No way,” Molly said. “Did you take a picture of it?”
“Of course. Hello, Instagram.”
“Elvis, you’re tempting me to call him back,” Deacon drawled. “I’d never stand in the path of true love.”
“Omigod, Deacon made a joke!” Presley clapped. “Wait. Will they kick you out of the badass club for that?”
“I’m the president. They can’t kick me out.”
“Two jokes in one day? Maddox is so gonna ream you for drinking on the plane.”
“I haven’t been drinking, but I sure can—”
“Give me one second,” Molly said, dragging Deacon around the corner of the elevator bay.
He pushed her against the wall and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe. “Miss me today, babe.”
“I will.”
“Can’t wait to get you alone tonight.”
“I can’t wait either.” Would sex in a fancy hotel be off-the-charts hot?
With Deacon? Guaranteed.
Molly wasn’t really paying attention to where she was going when they turned the corner and a freight train slammed into her. She would’ve hit the marble flooring if not for Deacon catching her.
“You all right?”
She nodded.
Then Deacon went after the guy. “Hey, Grape Ape.”
The big dude, in an ugly purple shirt, stopped and turned around. “What?”
“You damn near knocked my girlfriend over and didn’t stop to see if she was all right.”
“So?”
“So, get back here and apologize to her for bein’ an inconsiderate dickhead.”
Molly thought about ducking behind the palm tree.
The man said, “Make me.”
“Jesus, what are you? Five?”
The guy turned away.
“Fine.” Deacon grabbed his arm, twisted, and the Grape Ape dropped to his knees. “A. Pol. O. Gize.”
“Shit. Fuck. Let me go.”
“A. Pol. O. Gize. Fuckface. Now.”
“Ah, sorry, lady.”
“And?” Deacon prompted.
“And your boyfriend is a fucking psycho.” He glared up at Deacon.
Deacon bent down and whispered in the guy’s ear before he let him go.
“What did you say to him?”
“Gave him some advice.”
“I don’t wanna know, do I?”
“Probably not. I used bad words. I think he wet himself.”
Molly laughed and whispered, “My hero.”
“Deacon! Come on.”
“Gotta go, babe.” He kissed her quickly. “Later.”
Presley looped her arm through Molly’s and directed her down a long hallway. “While you were sucking face, I found out where the ballroom is.”
“Thank you.”
“Soooo . . .”
Molly groaned. “No conversation ever starts well with your drawn-out soooo.”
“I overheard what Deacon said to you at the elevator. I won’t repeat it, but damn, girlfriend, why are you not up in your room banging that man like a broken screen door?”
“Work. Same as him. Trust me. If the man could’ve gotten us both off in the five minutes we had in the room, he would’ve tried.”
“As Chaz says”—she mimicked his singsongy tone—“hate you.”
“I know we’re here because of work, but none of the single Black Arts guys trips your wires?”
“The hottie known as Riggins? Yes. But he looks at me like I’m a freakin’ science experiment, which means he doesn’t date chicks with ink.”
“Or maybe it’s the colored hair. Or the piercings. Or the scars,” Molly offered.
“Whatever. I’d love to have my hands on Big Rig’s perfect ass while he’s pumping into me, but that ain’t happening. So moving on . . . Ivan is hot, like hard-core hot, but he and Katie have that fucked-up thing going on, and then there’s some family business stuff with his dad I’m not cool with. At all.”
Molly frowned. “You mean the fetish club?”
“No. And if you don’t know, it’s not my place to tell you.”
Weird answer. “How about Fisher?”
“He’s built and sweet, but he’d fall in love with me, want to get serious right away, propose, and expect me to start popping out babies. He’s that kind of guy, and I’m so not ready for that.”
“Beck?”
“Now, him I like. Bet he uses
that Zen attitude to fuck like an animal. But he’s distracted this trip. Blaze is a baby. It’s not my job to break them in.”
“I’m guessing it’s the same story with Zach and Jon-Dean.” Molly looked around. Why hadn’t they reached the room yet?
“But I’d do Maddox. He’s got that nasty/sweet temperament. And those fucking eyes of his. I’ll bet he’s got some hard-core stamina. I’d be curious to see what size motor he’s running in those coach’s shorts.”
“Maddox is, like, fifteen years older than you.”
“Nope. He’s nineteen years older. And that, my friend, just means he’ll have perfected killer moves in bed.” Presley stopped. “Shit. Are we lost?”
A loud whistle rent the air.
Katie waved at them from the very end of the hallway. “Down here!” When they reached her, she said, “You’re just in time.”
“For what?”
“For the super-secret Operation Jealous Hag.”
“I’m in,” Presley said without hesitation.
“Good. Because you’re the other one he wants.”
“Who?”
“Maddox.”
“Katie, have you been drinking?” Molly demanded.
“No! This is my big chance to get Black and Blue Promotions noticed in the industry. I will be stone-cold sober until I’m back in Colorado.”
“Okay. So what’s Operation Jealous Hag?”
“It’s best if Maddox explains.”
That’s when Molly noticed Maddox sitting at a table by himself, lost in thought.
Katie whirled around and walked backward. “This operation cannot go beyond the five of us, okay?”
“Five? I count four.”
“Fee’s included in this for obvious reasons.”
Obvious to who? Molly wanted to ask, but didn’t.
“Amery is with Ronin and some House of Kenji people, so we’ve gotta make this fast before she gets back.”
Katie sat next to Maddox, and Molly and Presley took the chairs opposite him.
“What’s going on?”
“Basic story? Nasty divorce with my ex, Rox. I’ve been lying low in Colorado, building the Black Arts program. Now that we’re launching it, Rox will be here to see how I’m doing—not just professionally.”
“His ex-wife is Gil’s sister,” Katie interjected.
Maddox raked his hand through his hair. “So I’ve got a plan. Each night I’m here, I show up with a different gorgeous woman on my arm. My ex sees I’ve moved on, and I can watch her choke on her jealousy.” His gaze flicked to Katie. “Katie is my date for the party tonight.” His focus moved to Presley. “Are you willing to be my date tomorrow night after the fight?”
“Sure, but I’m not exactly the kind of woman that other women are jealous of.”
“Wrong. You’re young, hot, and edgy. You’re everything she never was and will never be.”
“While that bullshit flattery might work at the country-club bar on a forty-year-old divorcée on a Friday night, it won’t work on me.” Presley stood and placed her palms on the table, angling toward him. “Why would I be interested in you? I’m twenty-six, baby. You’re forty-five. What’s the pull between us? Convince me that you’re equally ready to play a part in this and I won’t just be standing by your side looking . . . young, hot, and edgy.”
Way to throw down the gauntlet, Pres.
Maddox stared at her long enough for it to be uncomfortable for everyone. Then he rolled to his feet in a sensuous move like a jungle cat about to pounce. His measured gait as he strolled toward Presley hit the sweet spot between predatory and constrained.
Molly couldn’t get over the change in Maddox’s demeanor. He’d gone from disheveled to disarming in a slow blink of his long black lashes. He looked as if he’d spent all night fucking hard in bed, but he didn’t have the aura of a satisfied man; instead he looked hungry. Wild. Greedy. Like a man who hadn’t gotten enough and was back for more.
He moved in behind Presley, who’d pushed herself upright. “The pull between us is sexual. A man of my experience can get you addicted to my touch, baby.” He trailed his fingers across the bare section of her shoulder. “Very addicted.”
Presley visibly trembled.
“Every time I look at you, you know I’m imagining all the wicked things I can do to your hot little body and make you beg me for more. Beg me in that sexy bedroom voice of yours. I’ll demand what’s mine anytime, anyplace. And you’ll say yes to me without hesitation.” He slid his hand up the back of her neck and grabbed a fistful of her hair. He pulled it hard enough she gasped, but she didn’t try to escape when he used his hold on her to maneuver her face next to his. “Couples look at us and want to be us. Not because we’re rich or powerful. Couples will envy us because of that zing of sexual need that radiates out from us. They’ll imagine us fucking, Presley.” His voice had dropped to a raspy whisper. “They know even their most vivid imaginations won’t do justice to how hot and dirty we are behind closed doors.”
After his hand fell away, Presley looked as if her knees might give out.
Breezily, Maddox said, “Did that convince you?”
“Uh.”
One-word answers weren’t Presley’s style, so Molly knew her friend was rattled. She stood and stepped in. “Interesting demonstration of your ability to fuck with people’s heads, Maddox. I’d be impressed if I hadn’t already known that’s how you achieve results with your fighters.”
Maddox leveled a death glare on her, but it wasn’t nearly as intimidating as Deacon’s.
“Here’s what I think. You’d be better served to have one hottie on your arm all weekend. If your ex sees you surrounded by a bevy of beauties, she’ll know you’re overcompensating. She’ll either think, That loser is still stuck on me, or, Good riddance to that dog. But if you’re openly devoted to one much-younger lady? That’ll get to her. Eat at her. She’ll wonder what she could’ve done differently to keep you. She’ll wonder if people are feeling sorry for her because you’re so much happier with a newer, hipper model. She’ll have a really shitty weekend.”
Maddox stared at her for another ten seconds. Then he said, “Damn, woman. You are scary mean. No wonder you and Deacon make such a perfect couple.”
Molly curtsied and Maddox laughed. Then she faced Presley. “Your choice whether you’re playing the part of Maddox’s one true,
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