Fight Like A Girl: An Opposites Attract Romance (Fighting For Love)

by Harley Reid

  Training starts tomorrow so Sarah agreed to have Madison for the weekend to allow me to blow off some steam. The events of last night are a little hazy but I certainly wasn't planning on bringing someone back to the house.

  I have a couple of rules when it comes to bedding women:

  Rule 1: One night only, no strings attached, and I always make things crystal clear before hooking up.

  Rule 2: Don't shit where you eat. No friends with benefits or sleeping with people I work with.

  Rule 3: Always go back to theirs, so they don't find out where you live.

  I have no idea why I broke my own rule by bringing her back here, but now I need to figure out how to get rid of her before Mia gets here, and I need to do something without looking like a bigger asshole than I actually am.

  It's going to be tough though. I can't even remember her name — Candice, no, Crystal maybe?

  As I wash away the stench of sex and alcohol in the shower, I run through my to do list.

  Call Jamison and set up my training schedule. Check.

  Sign the contracts. Check.

  Stock up the fridge. Check.

  Fix up a room for Mia. Check.

  I close my eyes and let the water rain down over my body and think back to that phone call.

  When I called her on Friday morning to offer her the job, she seemed different. I'm pretty sure I heard a glimmer of excitement in her voice and I can't help but want to get to know her better. She reminds me a lot of Sam when we first met, and it intrigues me.

  It's not like anything can happen between us though. I don't do relationships, not since Samantha. Plus, there's almost nine years between us, and I'm her new boss.

  Sure, she’s cute but I’d be breaking every single one of my rules, for what?

  Meaningless sex with my employee.

  No thanks.

  I finish up in the shower and reach over to grab my towel from the rack, wrapping it around my body before walking back to the bedroom.

  The bed is empty. She's gone.

  Hopefully, she's got the message and took off but as I spot her red lace bra on the floor, I realise that she's obviously still here. Somewhere.

  Just as I'm about to pull on a pair of jeans, a fully manicured hand wraps around my waist and I pull away, turning to face her.

  Leaning against the door frame wearing nothing but a pair of red lace panties, a smile, and way too much makeup is a tall, leggy brunette with a tiny waist and huge tits.

  “Hey baby, I thought you'd tried to sneak out me.” she laughs softly, the silky sound of her sultry voice brings me back to last night at the bar. I'd had a little too much to drink and was ready to leave when she came over asking for an autograph. We started flirting and when I tried to make my excuses to leave... well let's just say she's a woman who knows what she wants and is used to getting it.

  But it's not going to work on me again. Not today.

  “Got a busy day, so...” I pause, hoping she'll pick up on my not-so-subtle hint to leave. Don't make me kick you out!

  “I'll go on one condition.” she teases, “You give me your number so we can do this again.”

  She grabs her phone from the bed and hands it to me.

  “I made it clear last night that this was a one-time thing.”

  “Oh baby, do you really think I'm looking for a relationship… with you?” She patronises, “That's cute. We had fun, I'd like to have more fun every now and again. That's all.”

  I hesitate, not wanting to give her my number but needing to get her out of my house before anyone sees her.

  I type in a fake number and pass the phone back to her, trying to busy myself with making the bed while she puts on a dress that leaves very little to the imagination.

  “You sure you're ready for me to leave? I seem to remember you enjoying last night as much as I did.” she purrs, “Maybe once more for the road?”

  “Like I said, I've got a busy day ahead of me.” Take the hint woman.

  “Suit yourself.” She sashays across the room, pausing in the doorway. “I'll call you next time I'm in town.”

  And then she's gone.

  Why do I do this to myself? Despite my reputation as a womaniser, I actually don't do the whole one-night stand that often. There are plenty of photos online that would have you believe otherwise but I've only slept with three women since I lost Sam.

  I love sex, and a guy has needs. But that’s all it is. I’m not ready for anything more than that.

  No, I'm an all or nothing kind of guy and I gave everything I have to my wife, and then I lost her. I’m not going through that again.

  I pick up my phone and slide it into my back pocket as it vibrates. I pull it back out and see a text from Mia.

  Mia: Will move my stuff in this afternoon. Hope that's okay?

  I text back to let her know that it's fine, feeling lucky to have a few extra hours to sort out.

  I don't know why I'm so worried about her finding out about my sex life, I have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I'm a single, red-blooded male.

  So why does the thought of her finding out fill me with dread?

  Probably the same reason I spent most of Friday combing through her social media to find out more about her and then made so much effort getting her room ready.

  Unlike most girls her age, she doesn't post much. Mainly book and movie recommendations, a couple of yoga posts with the odd motivational quote thrown in.

  I want the woman looking after my daughter to be comfortable and happy so if that means creating the perfect safe space for her, so be it.

  For Madison.

  Mia: Will move my stuff in this afternoon. Hope that's OK?

  I hit send and wait for him to reply. My phone beeps almost immediately.

  Ethan: No problem. See you then.

  I was hoping to get my stuff over there this morning, so I can get settled in and meet Madison before being thrown in the deep end tomorrow but as always, life has to be put on hold because mum has just invited herself over for a visit.

  Perfect timing as usual.

  This will be the first time I've seen her since the break-up and I know she'll want to know what I did wrong, so she can tell me how to fix it. She's not even here yet and my stomach is in knots.

  As much as I love her, she has this amazing ability to make me feel like I'm never good enough. She means well but always goes over the top.

  I guess it's because she wasn't around much when we were growing up. Her job as a cardiac specialist had her working long hours, so she was out of the house for most of our childhood and I think she's trying to make up for it now.

  I stuff my phone into the pocket of my jeans and glare at my refection in the mirror.

  Urgh.

  My hands get to work rubbing tinted moisturiser into my blotchy skin, finishing off with a quick layer of mascara and a touch of pink lip gloss.

  Lexi appears beside me, doing to same, only her makeup routine is a lot more extensive than mine. Not that she needs it, her skin is already flawless without the layers of highlighting and contouring.

  “You ready for this?”

  I nod before walking back into the living room and chucking my makeup bag in to one of the three boxes now sitting on Lexi's dining table. I jerk my head towards the door as the bell rings, take a deep breath, plaster a smile on my face and open the door.

  Mum, Dr Diane Cooper stands in the dimly lit, run down hallway disapprovingly, her eyes looking me up and down. She takes a step past me, into the room and places her handbag on the arm of the sofa.

  “Honestly Amelia, could you not have made a little more effort?” Her expression is harsh as she surveys the pale blue skinny jeans and over-sized sweater that I'm wearing. “It's not every day that I have time to take you both to lunch.”

  All I can do is glance down at the floor and shuffle my feet. Come on Lexi. What are you doing in there? Honestly, I could have dressed in the same boring grey pant suit as her and I'm prett
y sure she'd still find fault. If I'm going to be made to feel like a failure, I might as well be dressed for comfort.

  “Alexandra, how nice of you to join us.” The hint of sarcasm in mum's voice washes over Lexi as she saunters into the room towards her, kissing her on the cheek.

  “Mother.” She sighs “What brings you to this side of town? Slumming it with one of your little toy boys?”

  “Nice to see you too darling.” I forgot how much tension there was in a room when the two of them get together. “I booked a table at a lovely little cafe down the road. Shall we eat?”

  The two of them used to get on great before Lexi moved to London, after that you'd need body armour just to be in the same room as them. I wonder if it's got something to do with dad leaving.

  We head out, following mum down the noisy street and into a quaint little coffee shop decorated like a vintage boutique, extremely out of place in the urban graffiti decorated city street. We sit down and not long after she orders lunch, we are presented with a cake stand full of sandwiches, cakes, and other little sweet treats. Before I realise, an hour has passed, and not one mention of Peter. Just mundane chit chat about Lexi's recent audition, my new job, which she is not happy with (surprise, surprise) and dad. Surprisingly, the lunch hasn't been an unpleasant experience and when mum stands to leave, I'm almost sad that it's over. Lexi on the other hand can't wait to get rid of her.

  We finish our lunch before heading back to the apartment, packing the car and setting off on the twenty-minute journey to the outskirts of town.

  This past weekend has been an absolute blur and as I sit in Lexi's little Audi listening to the radio, I realise that for the first time since Friday evening, I can breathe.

  Lexi hasn't heard back from her big audition yet, so not only did she drag me out to celebrate on Friday, she convinced me to go out last night too. She's been acting for years but so far, she's only booked a few commercials and walk on roles. She's talented, so I know she'll get her big break soon but her need to distract herself from rejection often gets her in to trouble.

  And since I'm staying with her, I get dragged along for the ride.

  “You okay sis?” Lexi takes her eyes off the road for a second to glance over towards me. “You look nervous.”

  “Yeah, I'm fine.” I lie.

  “You don't sound convinced. What's wrong?” I guess I'm not as good an actress as my sister.

  I sit in silence, trying to think of a way to get her off my case.

  “Just last-minute nerves. I'll be fine once I'm there.” I want so badly to tell her that the thought of living with Ethan makes my heart race, my palms sweaty and my throat close up on me. That no matter how much I try to block it out, I can't shake the feeling that I'm not cut out for this and it's going to end in disaster.

  But I know she won't understand.

  Luckily, our favourite song comes on the radio, so she turns it up, and we sing along at the top of our lungs.

  As we pull up in the courtyard outside the house, Lexi's chin hits the floor. It was dark and overcast the last time I saw the place but here, in the light of day, it's even more impressive than I remember.

  The ancient stone-built structure has been fitted with a heavy, dark grey wooden entrance. Large windows spanning the height of the building are dotted around giving views of the picturesque countryside.

  “Wow!” she is still gob smacked “I can't believe you're going to be living here while I'm stuck in that shitty little apartment.”

  “Yeah, but at least that apartment is yours.” I shrug as I get out of the passenger side door, slamming it closed behind me.

  Just as I get to the boot, I turn to see the front door opening and Ethan filling the entrance. He's looking amazing in a pair of jeans that hug his thighs and a shirt that stretches over his bulging biceps and for a second, the wind is knocked out of me. Keep it together Mia.

  “Hi Ethan.” I call out as I make my way over to him, carrying one of my boxes. “This is my sister, Lexi. Lex, this is Ethan.”

  “Ladies.” his deep, gravelly voice immediately gets Lexi's attention.

  “Well hello there handsome.” Great, we haven't even made it through the door, and she's already flirting.

  “Madison is with my sister, so I'll introduce you both this evening. Follow me, I'll show you to your room.” Within seconds, he is back in the house and Lexi is standing beside me, fanning herself with her hand.

  We follow him into the house, through the maze of corridors and eventually we are stood outside what appears to be my new room.

  As the door swings open, I am mesmerised by the sight before me. The room looks like someone jumped inside my head and designed a room so perfect I couldn't even imagine it myself, and there's so much space.

  The room alone is bigger than Lexi's whole apartment with plenty of storage space, a king-sized bed with a burgundy bedspread and a grey cable knit throw folded neatly at the bottom and a vinyl motivational quote on the wall above my bed.

  There's a yoga mat and other accessories in the corner next to a chest of drawers and a little chair in the bay window which is accompanied by an empty bookcase. I could literally live in this room if I wanted to.

  The only thing missing is a TV with access to Netflix, but my laptop will do.

  “I had my decorators look at your social media to make sure you felt comfortable. I hope it's okay?” he smiles and then his voice trails off as he disappears into the hallway “The bathroom is just down the hall. Feel free to explore, and if you need anything I'll be in my study.”

  “Holy shit Mia.” Lexi gasps “This is amazing. Now, I'm off to find that gorgeous hunk of a man. You're alright unpacking, aren't you?”

  I guess I'm left to unpack on my own because she's gone before I have the chance to protest.

  Typical Lex, always thinking about herself. It's a good job we're sisters because I doubt we'd be friends otherwise.

  Three trips to and from the car, an hour of unpacking later and I'm almost done.

  “Thanks for all your help Lex.” I mumble to myself under my breath as she drives away. I was hoping she'd stick around for moral support until Madison gets home, but she's been offered a call back tomorrow and needs to prepare.

  I've not got much but I've been dragging it out in an attempt to avoid spending any one-on-one time alone with him.

  As I pull the last few things out of the final box and find somewhere for them to live, I notice a small box wrapped in red tissue paper with a little message attached.

  Thought this might come in handy now you’re single (and living with a stud) Enjoy! x

  I'm not completely sure what to expect as I rip the packaging off it but then I catch a glimpse of a little silver vibrator and can immediately feel the heat rise up in my cheeks.

  What the hell is she thinking?

  She knows that I’m moving in to take care of a child, a young child that will probably be curious enough to go through my stuff. Imagine if she found it, I’d be mortified.

  Besides, he's my boss. I can't think about him like that. I don’t want to think about him like that.

  Putting the packaging in the wastepaper basket next to my dresser, I decide to stash it in my underwear drawer — It’s the top drawer in a tall dresser so hopefully, if I bury it towards the back, she won’t be able to reach it if she ever tries to use my clothes for dress up or anything.

  It's got to be a joke.

  Lexi is always teasing me about how embarrassed I get when it comes to talking about sex, but it’s supposed to be something that is private. A sensual experience that stays between the two people involved. That’s how different we are though— I believe that sex is something that should be reserved for someone you really care about and she just looks at it as some kind of hobby.

  Picking up one of my favourite books I curl up on the bed, my back against the black buttoned headboard pulling the heavy knitted throw over me and beginning to read.

  I get about six p
ages in and then there's a light knock at the door.

  “Two seconds.” I call, picking myself up off the bed and trying to straighten up my clothes but as I take a step, Ethan's head pops around the door. I hope he doesn't make a habit of just inviting himself into my room.

  “Madison should be home in about an hour and I'm ordering food. I thought we could go over everything while we eat.” He pauses, “Unless you have other plans.” he rubs the back of his neck, waiting for me to respond.

  “Oh, I... yeah sure.” The words stutter out before I have time to think of an excuse.

  What is it about this guy that turns my brain to mush?

  “Pepperoni pizza okay?” he asks with a warm smile that puts my nerves at ease.

  “Sounds good. I'll be right there.”

  Trying to find my way to the kitchen is a lot easier than I thought it would be and while we're waiting for the food to arrive, Ethan shows me around the place.

  As big as the house looks from the outside, I realise that the main living area is all off the same corridor, with the exception of Madison's room which is up on the mezzanine floor along with her play area.

  The rest of the space is filled with gym equipment, a small octagon surrounded by training mats and excitement bubbles up inside me when he shows me the swimming pool. All of which I have full access to when he is not training.

  I'm not really sure when I'll get to use it, between the extensive schedule he's given me for Madison and the three training sessions he has almost every single day, my time is going to be pretty limited but I'm sure I'll figure it out once I've settled in.

  We make our way back to the kitchen, and he fills me in on his gruesome training schedule. I had absolutely no idea how much dedication and hard work it takes to be a professional fighter. I'm still not happy that it's even a job that someone can do in the first place but at least it requires a bit more discipline than I originally thought.

  “Drink?” he asks, pouring himself a glass of syrupy amber liquid as we stand in awkward silence.

  “I'll just grab a water, thanks.” I make my way to the fridge as the doorbell echoes off the high ceilings and Ethan disappears momentarily before returning with a huge, steaming pizza.