“Si, mi amor. I think he’s right. You are fancy,” Tony replied. He reached forward to touch Francesca’s hair, and she slapped his hand away.
“I am not your love, so stop calling me that. One day you’re an asshole to me, the next you’re calling me cute little names. You’re such a jerk—no wonder no one else wants to train you.”
“I’m not a jerk. I just haven’t had the right teacher.” Tony cocked an eyebrow. “And I’m sorry for being an asshole the other day, I was in a bad mood and I was very drunk.”
Travis tipped his head back and roared with laughter.
“Honey, I’m no one’s teacher,” Francesca retorted. “If you need teaching, you’re barking up the wrong tree. This school is closed. Especially to someone as cantankerous as you are.” She had her hands on her hips. “Oh, and you need to stop drinking if that’s what’s making you a douche, although I wouldn’t blame solely the alcohol for that.”
“I think cantanker— whatever the fuck means that you’ve been rejected,” Travis observed.
Tony placed his hand on his heart. “I’m in love. Beauty, brains, and a dirty mouth.”
Slade was out of patience. “That’s it. Out of here, Travis.” Then he turned to Tony. “Got news for you, buddy. You’re out of shape.” He pointed to the man’s midsection. “You have a gut, and you’re goin’ to lose your next fight. Get your ass out there and train, or don’t—I don’t care anymore. It’s your damn career.”
Tony seemed to ponder it for a few moments, and then looked at Francesca. “Meet you by the speed bags,” he said to Slade.
Finally! Something that he wanted to hear. “About fucking time, brother,” Slade replied.
—
There was a knock on her door. Jessica was sure it was Slade, and she was not in the mood to see him.
She was fairly certain that, no matter what it had looked like in the office, Slade wasn’t cheating on her with Francesca. But Francesca always made Jessica feel like a dumpy disaster. Then there’d been the blonde. And instead of being apologetic, he’d called her a drama queen. She was hurt and angry. If she was honest, she was mostly angry at herself for being blindsided by jealousy when she’d known all along that the man was a womanizer.
She opened the door, ready to argue with Slade, but found herself being pushed back into the house before she had a chance to process what was happening. She looked up in confusion as the door slammed, and gasped. The man she least wanted to see was standing right in front of her, and there was nowhere for her to go.
She had to blink twice to make sure it wasn’t her mind playing tricks on her and that, in fact, Dennis was standing in front of her. Then she turned and ran to her bedroom. She tried to slam the door closed behind her, but he pushed it open.
“Didn’t take you much time, did it?”
Jessica looked around her bedroom for anything she could use as a weapon, but saw nothing. And her phone was in her car. She had purposely left it there in order to avoid talking to Slade.
“Dennis? I…uh…what are you…?”
“Surprised?” He closed the bedroom door behind him and locked it.
“You shouldn’t be here.” She heard her words quavering.
“Got sick of seeing you all over town with Martin.”
He got closer to her. Too close. She flinched, certain she knew what was about to happen. Instead, he lifted his hand and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Then he walked to her bed, sat down, and patted the spot right next to him.
“Sit. We need to talk.” His voice was firm. “Now.”
She contemplated her options. She could try to run, but he’d catch her before she’d have a chance to unlock the door. Her heart sank. Over the last few months she’d imagined coming face-to-face with Dennis again, and in that scenario she was a badass, self-assured woman who would never be a victim again. But the reality was that he was here and she was cowering in her own home.
“I said sit!”
Robotically, she walked over and sat on the bed, but as far away as she could.
“You looked better when we were dating.”
“Yeah? The black eye made me look better?” As soon as she said it she regretted it. She shouldn’t goad him.
He took a deep breath. “You overreacted, Jessica.” He stood up, towering over her and making her feel like a child being reprimanded. He ran his hand down his face. “You shouldn’t have fought back that night. All it did was make me angrier. And now look. I’m facing prison time because of you and your little boyfriend.”
“What do you want, Dennis?”
“It’s been difficult to find a way to talk to you, since you’re never alone. I’ve been leaving you hints. Hoped you’d get the picture and make some time for me.”
“Hints?” As soon as the word left her mouth she knew. “The sunflowers! You’re the only one who knows I hate sunflowers.”
“Ah, there’s a brain in there somewhere.”
“And what exactly did you want to talk to me about? I think everything’s been said.”
“I came to tell you that you are not going to testify against me.”
“Excuse me?”
“You, my lovely, will not be testifying against me.” He reached down and ran the back of his cold hand against her cheek. Her skin crawled at the contact, and she began to feel nauseous.
“And if I don’t agree?”
“Don’t forget that I know a lot of things. For example, I know that your boyfriend can’t fight anymore. I know that one blow to the head and he’s done.” He grabbed her ponytail and pulled hard. “I swear to you, he won’t see it coming. Do you believe that?” She tried to nod, but his grip was too tight. Tears leaked out of her eyes. “And you will not tell him about this conversation. I may not be a professional fighter, but he’s no match for a two-by-four to the back of his skull while he’s out for his evening jog. I’d probably wait for him…” Dennis looked up to the ceiling as if he was thinking. “On the corner of Eighth and Walnut Street. One blow, Jessica. And it will be all your fault.” He let her go and walked slowly around the room. “If you testify against me, I’ll go to jail. And as you can imagine, that’s not going to happen. Do you understand? I will not stand having this bullshit even go to trial. It will ruin my political career. Are you willing to risk your boyfriend’s life?”
“You’re bluffing.”
“You prepared to play those odds?”
“You almost killed me,” Jessica retorted furiously. “You don’t deserve to be out with the rest of the normal population.”
“You little bitch. You think people are going to believe you? You, whoring yourself through town with that Neanderthal and his posse of hoodlums?”
“Neanderthal? Hoodlums? Slade owns a very reputable professional fighting academy. And by hoodlums, do you mean Jack Daniels, this town’s distinguished cop? Wait, did you just call me a whore?”
“And a bitch.”
Her mouth opened in shock.
“You think that after all those years together I don’t know you? How your mind works?” He made a tsk-tsk-tsk noise. “If I threaten you, you’ll testify. You’re too proud, and you probably feel some bullshit need to see me in prison. But if I threaten your friends…well, you won’t want to see them hurt or involved in the shit storm you’re about to send their way. Plus…” He stepped closer to her, reaching out to caress her face. “You always were a good lay, and I don’t want that asshole fucking what’s mine. Some other asshole, I wouldn’t give a fuck, but I have a beef with Martin.”
“You’re crazy. I’m not playing your sick game. Get out of my house!” She pointed toward the door.
Dennis was not as big as Slade, but he was about six feet tall, ran five miles every morning, and did weight training four times a week. He grabbed her by the neck with one hand. Her eyes watered, and she couldn’t breathe or speak. “You think you’re going to dictate how this is going to go? I’m still the front-runner for congressman in the next election�
�even with your stupid claims, which no one believes. The goddamn town loves me. People loved how I took pity on the local barmaid and dated her. And, just to show you how serious I am and how much power I have, I had the Om Spot’s lease revoked earlier this morning. It’s my uncle’s building. I did that just for shits and giggles. Enjoy your classes, because they’ll be over by the end of the month.
“You’re going to shut your mouth at the trial or you and all your friends will pay. This is a small town, and I have ears everywhere. I want you to leave town before the trial and I want you to stop seeing Slade. You hear me? The trial is next month. You have only a few weeks to pack up your shit and go.” He released her and she collapsed on the floor, coughing and gasping.
He walked to the bedroom door and unlocked it. He turned back for a moment to say, “I’ll be keeping my eye on you. I don’t want to have to remind you that I have eyes everywhere, and if I even suspect you told anyone about this little visit, deal’s off. I won’t just physically hurt him—I’ll have every inspector in town at the gym making his life miserable. I’ll even call the licensing board. Your boyfriend loses everything, you lose your home, and…well, I’ll be really fucking pissed. So much so, I will probably be in prison for a lot longer than originally planned. You better think carefully. Understand?”
He walked out of her bedroom, and a moment later she heard the front door slam shut.
—
By the way the light shone through the space between her closed curtains, Jessica surmised it was early morning. Her body ached, her head hurt, her heart throbbed. For a brief moment she thought the pounding she heard was a result of the pain in her head, but when she sat up, she realized the sound was coming from the front door. Someone was there.
Immediately she stiffened. Could it be Dennis? Was he back?
But then she heard, “Jess. Please open the door.” She knew that voice. But she wasn’t ready to see the owner of that voice. And she was even less ready to deal with the events of the night before.
She’d been mad at Slade yesterday, but deep down she had still believed that they could work it out. Now she knew they couldn’t. She had to end it with Slade without him knowing why. If he knew Dennis was behind it, he’d fight for her, of this she was sure. He would confront Dennis, and he’d undoubtedly end up hurt or in prison.
It was like pulling off a Band-Aid. She had to end it, now, quickly. No looking back.
Jessica mustered up the energy to walk to the door and look through the peephole, just in case. Never again would she fail to check who was at the door. She let out a big breath, closed her eyes, and opened the door.
“I came by to apologize for yesterday,” Slade began. “I was out of line. I feel like a dick. I’m so sorry, Jess.” He looked genuinely remorseful.
“It’s fine, Slay. You don’t owe me any explanation.”
“Yes, I do.” He reached for her hand. “After all you’ve been through, how could I say all that bullshit to you? I was just having a crap day. She’s no one. I’d forgotten all about her. She used to come around a few times a year when she had a layover nearby.” He sounded nervous.
His apology was cute and so very sweet. And she knew she should be the one apologizing—he didn’t deserve her jealousy after having been nothing but loyal and adoring. And he really didn’t deserve his life threatened because of her.
“Slade.” She took a deep breath. Make it fast. Clean break. “This isn’t working out.”
His eyebrows furrowed as if he couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. “What’s not working out? The thing with Frances looked bad. I get it. But it wasn’t anything, Jess. She’s just my business partner. Nothing more. Ever. She doesn’t even date. Like, ever. No one. Not that that’s the reason I’m not with her. She’s not my type.”
“She’s everyone’s type, Slade.”
“Not mine. I prefer brunettes with a cute little Southern accent. And preferably a brunette who’s so blind as to how I feel about her, she gets jealous over an uptight redhead and a blond bimbo.”
“I wasn’t jealous!”
He gave her a look.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. I was jealous. And maybe I’m all kinds of drama and you’ve made it clear you aren’t into that. So go back to your drama-free life. I can’t do this. I can’t handle women walking up to you every other day and falling all over themselves to get into your pants.”
“I like that you got jealous.” He ran the back of his hand down her cheek to her neck, and she flinched. Immediately he was concerned. “What happened? You okay?”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder, trying to hide her neck. She hadn’t had a chance to look in the mirror, but she was fairly certain she had a bruise from where Dennis grabbed her. “Didn’t sleep well. Stiff neck.”
“You sure?” He leaned in to take a better look at her face. “You don’t look so okay. You were crying.” It wasn’t a question.
She wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Shit. Now I really feel like a total dick. I am so sorry. None of those women mean anything. No woman has meant as much to me as you have, and you have to believe me when I tell you how sorry I am.”
It was now or never.
“I’ve decided to move back home. To Charlotte.”
“You’re what?”
“Coming to Tarpon Springs was a mistake. I was just too stupid to realize that at the time. Now, with Dennis out of my life, there’s no reason for me to stay. Hell, even the Om Spot is closing down.”
“Wait. What? How do you know that?”
“Oh…I…uh…I heard about it the other day,” she lied. “That was the thing I looked forward to the most. I can’t work in a bar for the rest of my life. I have to move on and I can’t do it here. And really, Slade, I can’t handle your past. It’s too much for me. There are women cut out for it, but I’m not one of them.”
“Are you serious? I thought we were building something here. This is bullshit, Jessica.”
“I like you. A lot. And there is no way to put into words how much I will always appreciate and will always remember how much you helped me after…” She couldn’t even finish the sentence; it was too humiliating, especially after last night.
His face softened, and he smiled. He brought his big hand to her face and pulled it toward him. His lips connected to hers and he kissed her tenderly in a way that said, Let’s get married and have little Martin babies. If she’d been at all unsure before, the kiss confirmed how madly in love she was with this man. The kiss was beautiful, soft and full of promise. It was the best kiss of her life.
Before pulling away, he gently placed a small kiss on her nose. “I like you too, Jess. A lot.”
“But I still have to leave,” she said, taking a step back. “It’s been great. I mean, you’ve been great. We’ve had fun, and the sex was out of this world. But I can’t do this anymore. It may not be Francesca this time, but it will be someone else and that would break me. I have to leave, Slade. I have to start to rebuild my life, and I just can’t do it here.” Her lip quivered. “I know this is going to sound like a cliché, but I want…no, I need us to remain friends.” She used the back of her hand to wipe away some of the tears.
“Fuck friendship. You’re more to me than that, and I know you feel the same way. When are you leaving?” His jaw was clenched tight, and he was taking long deep breaths, as if trying to hold back from saying more.
“Not sure. I’d like to give Patsy and Jett two weeks’ notice, and I need to pack up. But sooner rather than later. My lease is almost up anyway.”
“So I have a few weeks to convince you not to leave.” His eyes narrowed, and he seemed to relax a little.
“Slade, my mind’s made up. Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“Tomorrow night, dinner.”
“I’m not going on a date with you, Slade.”
“You said you wanted to be friends, right?” He reached for her, then led her over to the
couch, where he pulled her down onto his lap.
“Always. Although friends don’t sit on each other’s laps,” she said.
“Says who?”
“Says the friendship rulebook.”
He stood up with her in his arms—the man was strong!—and gently placed her on the couch, then sat down next to her. “Okay, friend. Now you’re not on my lap. Dinner, tomorrow.”
But Dennis had told her she couldn’t be seen around town with Slade. That was one of the conditions.
“I don’t know, Slade.”
“Come on. What’s the worst that can happen? You have a nice meal. I hear all about Charlotte. You listen to me bitch about Tony.”
She blew out a deep breath. He was taking this better than she’d thought. Better than she was taking it, actually. “No. One thing will lead to another and…no. No dinner. I’ll call you later this week.” She rose and guided him toward the door.
He opened the door, then turned around. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her roughly toward him. They were chest to chest, and she had to hold on to his biceps to keep balanced.
She closed her eyes. Being this close to him sent chills down her spine. His smell was intoxicating, his blue eyes mesmerizing. His grip was tight and firm, and pressed up against him the way she was, she could feel how hard he was.
His eyes locked with hers. He bent down and kissed her, chastely, on the cheek, and wiped away the remaining tears. Then he let her go. She swayed, and he placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
“If you think you’re leaving this town, you’ve lost your fucking mind, Jessica. Goodbye, friend.” He winked and left.
Holy crap!
Chapter 9
A week later Slade stood in front of the window of the Om Spot staring at perfectly rounded globes encased in tight black yoga pants. Fourteen women stood bent over, all facing a mirror on the opposite side of the room, their hands wrapped around their ankles, asses up in the air. Any depraved voyeur would have a field day.
But the only ass he was seeing belonged to a woman with long brown hair. She had him enthralled. She’d had him enthralled for the last year, actually, ever since he’d seen her at one of his MMA fights. He hadn’t been able look away then, and today was no different.
Full Contact (Worth the Fight #2) Page 13