by Naomi Niles
“I get it-”
“You realize you’re going up against Kendrick Conner, right?” Wendell asked. “That guy is no joke.”
“I’m aware,” I replied tiredly.
“You realize that this guy will have the support of the entire crowd, right?” he continued. “No one will know or care who you are…”
“I don’t need them to-”
“That’s just a bunch of tough talk from a guy who’s never played a big crowd before,” he interrupted harshly. “You need the crowd on your side. You need their attention and their interest because without it, you’re not going to get a second fight. You understand?”
“I understand,” I said, in defeat.
“Excellent,” he nodded. “Then I want you here at nine o’clock on Wednesday. And, Talen?”
“Yeah?”
“Practice your smile.”
I rolled my eyes as Wendell walked away laughing. A few moments later, Ryan stumbled up to me while I was doing sit ups.
“I saw Wendell on the way in,” Ryan said. “What did he want?”
“I have a photo shoot coming up,” I replied.
“Damn, they’re pulling out all the stops huh?” he said, clearly impressed.
He sat down cross-legged in front of me as though he were a five year old with a story to tell. He looked a little pale and his eyes held a tinge of redness, but apart from that, there was no real sign that he had been drinking heavily last night.
I shrugged. “I would have preferred to avoid this humiliation.”
“Humiliation?” Ryan repeated, looking at me as though I was insane. “Come on, this shit is what models do.”
“Do I look like a fucking model to you?” I demanded.
Ryan looked me over and smiled. “You are a studly piece of man candy if I ever saw one.”
“Weirdo,” I said, standing up and heading over to the ring. “Let’s get our training underway. Or are you too drunk from last night to fight me?”
“Ha!” Ryan said, standing up and following me to the ring. “I can hold my alcohol. I haven’t had a serious hangover since I was seventeen. That’s how you know I’m a real man.”
“That’s a lot of big talk coming from a guy who’s lost in this ring more times than I can count.”
“I’m just trying to boost your confidence for your upcoming fight, dude,” he said quickly. “Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness.”
“Too late,” I said, as we faced off against each other.
I had to admit, Ryan impressed me. I knew how much he’d had had to drink last night and despite that, he was quick on his feet and thoughtful with his moves. We spent an hour in the ring, fending off attacks from one another. I won twice and by the end of the second round, Ryan was on his back, panting hard.
“Remember…” he yelled from the floor. “I’m just giving you confidence here.”
I laughed and helped him to his feet. We decided to do some cardio for a half hour before we got back into the ring. Steven came in for a couple of hours in the middle of the day to give us some specific pointers before leaving us to our own devices again. By six o’clock, we had worked ourselves into a comfortable exhaustion and headed to the locker rooms together.
“Good training session, huh?” Ryan said, wiping his face with his hand towel.
“Really good,” I agreed. “Apparently, drinking helps you perform.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “I can’t believe you didn’t drink a thing last night.”
“I swore off alcohol a while ago.”
“Why?”
I hesitated. I had never been one to go into personal accounts of my life. “I had my reasons,” I replied evasively.
“Geez, you’re tougher to crack than… I don’t know… Something that’s hard to crack.”
I laughed. “Your thick skull?” I offered.
“Fuck off.”
Twenty minutes later, I was ready to get a good dinner and hit the sack. I had just put on my jacket when my hands slipped into the pockets out of habit. I felt a scrunch of paper in my right pocket and pulled out a folded note that I was certain hadn’t been there that morning. Then I remembered the feel of Brittany brushing up against me that morning at the diner.
Her name was scrawled across the paper and underneath it was her number. I smiled, folded the note back up, and slipped it into my breast pocket.
Chapter Twelve
Brittany
“God dammit!” I screamed as I slammed my hands against the steering wheel.
It was my fourth attempt to get the car to start and still the engine was purring for only a few sharp seconds before it died on me. I rested my head against the steering wheel for a moment and then took a deep breath.
“Okay,” I said calmly. “One more try. If this doesn’t work, I’ll call Lacey.”
Fifteen minutes later, Lacey found me standing in front of my car, staring daggers at it as though I were about to go all Kung-Fu Panda on its ass. She approached me slowly.
“Back away from the vehicle, Brittany,” she said. “This isn’t going to end well.”
I gave her a side glare. “Stupid thing won’t start.”
“I figured as much,” she nodded. “Could it be because you didn’t actually get any repairs done?”
I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. “Being poor sucks.”
“You’re not poor,” she said firmly. “You’re just…down on your luck.”
“Funny; seems I’ve been that way for quite a while now,” I said bitterly. “Isn’t luck supposed to change at some point?”
“It still can.”
“I’m not holding my breath,” I said as Lacey and I headed to her car.
I settled into the passenger’s seat and checked the time. “Fuck,” I swore. “We’re going to be late.”
“Danny can hold down the fort till we get there,” Lacey said soothingly. “Don’t worry.”
“I think I need a second job,” I blurted out abruptly.
Lacey gave me a quick side-glance. “Will you be able to manage that?” she asked tentatively.
“I have no fucking clue,” I admitted. “But I don’t see that I have much of a choice. My current salary is only enough to cover my monthly rent and bills. I don’t have any money left over for extra repairs and unexpected expenses… And, forget about saving money. I don’t think I’ve saved a penny in over a year. I’m living hand to mouth, Lace, and I don’t know how much longer I can afford to do that.”
“You work long hours already,” she reminded me.
“I know,” I nodded. “And, I also know that taking a second job means saying goodbye to any sort of free time.”
“There is another option,” she said cautiously.
“Which is?”
“You could always ask your father.”
I cringed. “God, no.”
“Why not?” she demanded. “The bastard owes you.”
“I am not asking him,” I said, with finality.
“Brit-”
“I’m not asking him,” I repeated again, this time more forcefully.
Lacey sighed. “Is that pride talking?”
“Of course, it’s pride talking,” I said. “Pride is all I have at the moment.”
“Pride doesn’t get the bills paid or the repairs done,” she pointed out gently.
“Maybe not,” I said. “But it makes it easier for me to sleep at night.”
As Lacey parked, we ran into the diner with our “I’m sorry” faces on. Danny was standing behind the counter looking positively harassed. Monica was in her usual booth by the window, and as I turned around, I noticed with a start that Talen was there, too.
I remembered the note I had slipped into his pocket the day before. I wasn’t sure what had made me do it. I had been leaning against the breakfast counter, watching him as subtlety as I could manage and something inside me had just felt bold. Before I knew it, I had written down my name and number on a piece of paper. The pla
n had been to simply hand it over to him. But my courage had given way when he had stepped up to the counter and instead, I had slipped the note into his pocket.
I wasn’t sure if he had found it. Even if he had, I wasn’t sure if he would even bring it up. I decided not to psyche myself out about it.
“Where the hell have you two been?” Danny interrupted my thoughts.
“Yeah!” Monica asked. “I’m fucking starving.”
“Give us a break, will you,” Lacey said, holding her own. “Brit’s car died on her so I had to go pick her up.”
I wished Lacey hadn’t explained that part quite so loud. I noticed Talen look up in my direction at the mention of my shitty, unreliable car.
“Your car died?” Danny asked, turning to me. “I thought you got that piece of shit repaired.”
“Obviously not, Danny,” I said. “Or I would have been here earlier.”
“Why not just get the repairs over with?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh yeah, why didn’t I think of that?”
“Genius suggestion,” Lacey added, coming to my defence.
“Looks and brains all in one neat package,” I said mockingly.
Danny held up his hands and backed into the kitchen. “Jesus, it was just a question.”
“A stupid question,” Lacey yelled after him.
“And, one that I’ve answered before,” I added.
“You realize that you two work for me right?” Danny asked as he bumped into the kitchen door.
Lacey and I exchanged an amused glance. “Do we?” Lacey asked, in surprise. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Are you really the owner of this place?” I asked.
“Does that mean you intentionally picked out these colors?” Lacey went on.
“Fuck off,” he said. “Both of you.”
We laughed as Danny disappeared into the kitchen. I got together Talen’s breakfast while Lacey saw to an impatient Monica. We managed to distract her with a piece of pie, and I happened to snatch snippets of her conversation with Lacey as I got Talen’s toast ready.
“What’s the story with the brooding Apollo over there?” Monica asked.
“Umm…not sure actually,” Lacey admitted.
“He’s comes here every day now.”
“I know-”
“And, still you don’t know squat?”
“Umm...”
“For shame,” Monica said, shaking her head. “If I were forty years younger, I’d be over at his table, bending over and batting my eyes at him.”
I suppressed a laugh as I grabbed the toast and coffee and headed over to Talen’s table. “Morning,” I said. “Here’s your breakfast.”
“Thanks,” he nodded, making no mention of my note. He looked particularly handsome today in his black hoodie. His shocking blue eyes were intense and seductive, and I found it hard to look away from them. “Something funny?” he asked.
I glanced over at Monica. “It’s just…Monica being Monica,” I replied. “I think she has a thing for you.”
“For me?” he asked incredulously.
“Oh, yeah.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Well… I’m flattered.”
“You don’t sound sure,” I said, in amusement.
He smiled, but deftly changed the subject. “Car troubles?”
“Uh…yeah,” I said, in an embarrassed tone.
“We’ve all had them,” Talen said with understanding.
I smiled.
“So…is your offer still on the table?” Talen asked, taking me by surprise.
“My offer?”
“To show me around?” he reminded me.
“Oh, right,” I nodded. “Of course, it’s still on the table.”
“Good,” he nodded. “Because I don’t have to be anywhere till eleven tomorrow. Which means I can do something tonight.”
“Tonight?” I repeated. “That sounds good.”
“Great,” he nodded. “I already have your number.”
I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks and I did my best to suppress it. “The only thing is, I don’t exactly have a working car at the moment.”
He seemed unconcerned. “Luckily, I do,” he said. “I’ll pick you up tonight at eight?”
“Perfect,” I nodded.
I headed over to the counter where Lacey was cleaning out the cutlery. “Guess what?” I whispered to her.
“What?” she asked.
“Guess who I’m going out with tonight?”
“Who?”
I didn’t answer immediately, which forced Lacey to look up at me. Then he her eyes went wide with the sudden realization.
“Don’t freak out,” I said quickly. “He’s right over there and will definitely hear.”
The scream died on her lips, but I saw the excitement there. “No freaking way,” she whispered to me.
I smiled.
“You’re really going out with him tonight?”
“I really am,” I nodded.
“Excited?”
“A little,” I nodded.
“How did it go down?”
“Well, I offered to show him around yesterday,” I admitted.
“And, you didn’t even tell me,” Lacey said, narrowing her eyes at me.
I winked at her. “And ,I might have slipped my number into his jacket pocket.”
She shook her head at me. “I am both shocked and proud.”
“What?” I demanded defensively. “I’m no shrinking violet.”
“Oh, I know,” she nodded. “I guess I just didn’t expect you to make a move on this particular guy.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
“Well, for starters…he’s a little scary looking.”
“Are you serious?” I asked. “He’s fucking hot.”
“I agree,” she nodded. “He is hot, he’s just got this dangerous vibe, too, you know? I don’t know it’s as though he could be mixed up in some…nefarious activities.”
“You’re being paranoid,” I said, rolling my eyes at Lacey. “Shut up… He’s coming this way.”
Talen stepped up to the counter to pay. Lacey was at the register, so she accepted his money and gave him a quick nod. Just before he turned away, his eyes met mine and a thin current of electricity seemed to pass between us. I was fairly certain it was my imagination, but it was no less exciting despite that.
“I have some mace I can lend you,” Lacey said the moment Talen had left the diner. “Just in case.”
I glared at her. “I won’t need it.”
“I’m also willing to tail you two on the date to make sure he’s not going to rape and murder you.”
“Will you stop?”
Lacey laughed. “I’m kidding,” she said. “And, I may also be a little jealous.”
“Jealous?”
“He’s a serious sex pistol,” she smiled. “I’m kinda bummed I wasn’t able to make much headway with him.”
“Did you even try?”
“The first time I waited on him,” she nodded. “He was stone.”
“He was with me, too, you know,” I reminded her.
“Nah,” Lacey said, shaking her head. “He looked at you differently. That was evident from day one.”
I wrinkled my brows together; it didn’t feel likely, but a part of me desperately wanted to believe that. This was the first date I’d been on in almost a year, and I was starting to feel the butterflies materialize in my stomach.
“You look like you just swallowed a frog,” Lacey said.
“What do I wear tonight?” I asked.
“Don’t you worry about a thing,” she said confidently. “I’ll come home with you after work, and we’ll figure something out. You’re going to look like a million bucks.”
“That’s going to be a task, considering the most expensive thing I own is like…thirty bucks.”
“It’s all in the styling,” Lacey said, with a wink. “Trust me.”
With a little persuasive pleading, we managed to g
et off early that night. We headed over to my place after stopping by Lacey’s apartment for a few minutes first. She had brought a bunch of clothes from her closet for me to try on, as well as a good stock of makeup and accessories. Just before I started getting ready, Talen texted and asked for my address. With a tingle in my stomach I replied and then turned to the daunting task of figuring out what to wear.
“You didn’t have to empty out your entire closet,” I told her, looking at the pile of clothes on my bed.
“I wanted you to have options,” she replied generously.
It felt like I tried on everything three times over in different combinations, but I finally settled on a pair of sexy black boot cut jeans with a red off the shoulder blouse that made me look both tall and statuesque. I left my hair loose around my shoulders and applied a nominal amount of make up that highlighted my eyes.
“What do you think?” I asked, turning to Lacey.
“You look hot,” she said, nodding with approval.
I smiled. “It’s strange.”
“What is?”
“I’m actually nervous,” I said. “I’ve never really been nervous before a date before.”
She smiled. “You’ve never really been on a date with a guy like this before,” she reminded me.
“Fair enough,” I nodded.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and I froze. Lacey on the hand, jumped into action. “I’ll get it,” she said, heading for the door before I could stop her.
Chapter Thirteen
Talen
I was trying to remember the last time I had been on a date. I had never really been the dating type, and yet I had somehow unconsciously walked into this of my own free will. I kept going over the moments in my head and realized that despite the fact that Brittany was the one who had initiated this, I had been the one to see it through. The fact that she had slipped her number into my pocket had left the choice up to me – and I had pounced on it.
I had chosen to wear jeans because it was what I was most comfortable in, but it seemed a bit out of place to wear my usual hoodie. So I found myself rifling through my still unpacked suitcase, trying to figure something that was casual without being completely disrespectful. I realized that most of the shirts I owned were sleeveless, hooded, or they had graphic expletives and images printed on them.