by Marie York
I walked into the gym, and smiled at Cindy. “My first appointment here yet?” I asked, not even sure who it was.
“Oh, honey, look at your face. Damn shame for someone as cute as you to be all black and blue.”
“It’ll heal.”
“Yes, it will. Well, your first appointment is sitting over by the free weights.”
“Thanks, Cind.” I winked at her and headed to the weights. As I passed the elliptical, my eyes landed on a pair of baggy sweatpants and a tight tank top with tiny straps that could only belong to one person.
She must’ve been here for a session with Melissa. Except, Melissa didn’t come in until after noon today. And she was sitting on the bench in the middle of the free weights.
Her back was to me, and I approached her with caution. Was she here for round two? Did she sleep on it and realize all the things she really wanted to say to me? If I was honest, she took it pretty easy on me. I deserved worse. Much worse.
“What are you doing here?” I asked and she jumped up from the bench, causing her tits to jiggle. I forced my eyes away from her chest and focused on her eyes. “Here to tell me what a terrible person I am? Tell me I’m a piece of shit? Because believe me sweetheart, it’s nothing I don’t already know.”
She shook her head and a curl sprung loose from her ponytail. “No. What I said last night…I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t know you well enough to make that judgment.”
“But you do.” I leaned in, pushing the curl back into her ponytail. She shivered at my touch, and I let my hand linger longer than I should have. “I’m the guy your parents warned you about. The guy who kisses and tells then never calls you again. Who wouldn’t think twice about fucking you behind a dumpster or bending you over the hood of a car and taking you right where anyone can stumble upon us. I’m exactly who you think I am.”
Her gorgeous gray eyes locked with mine. “Those things don’t make you a bad person.”
“No?” From what I’ve been told by pissed off females, that’s exactly what that made me.
“No. I’ve been with the guy my parents warned me about, and you are not that guy.”
Was it possible she saw something other women didn’t see? Because as far as I knew, I was definitely that guy. “How do you know?”
“Because guilt brought you to me last night.”
“If you think that, then you’re going to be disappointed.”
She held my gaze with a determine glint in her eyes. “I’ll only be disappointed if you tell me you don’t want to be my trainer anymore.”
The smart thing to do was to tell her no and get her the fuck away from me, but, when it came to Brooklyn, I was fucking stupid. “Go grab the five-pound weights. We’re doing lunges,” I said, and a smile spread wide, lighting up her entire face. It was the prettiest damn thing I’d ever seen. And, even though I knew I was making a huge fucking mistake, I didn’t care.
I wasn’t ready to walk away just yet.
***
My phone rang as I drove to meet Brooklyn for another self-defense training session. I glanced down to see Sal’s name flashing on the screen. He always had impeccable timing.
“What is it, Sal?”
“I just got off the phone with Seth’s agent. He wants to push the fight back a month.”
“A month? It’s already three months out. Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Do I kid?”
“Fucking pansy,” I growled into the phone. “Book it, but no more rescheduling. He either wants to fight or he doesn’t.”
“Okay, I’ll let him know.”
I hung up the phone, and pulled into the parking lot. Brooklyn was already there, leaning against her car. She had officially ditched the baggy t-shirts—thank God—and was in her now usual tight tank top. She hadn’t dropped the baggy sweatpants yet, and still had me guessing what I’d find beneath them.
“Hey,” she said, as I got out of Tanya.
“Hey. You ready to get started?”
“You betcha.”
We walked to the side door. I unlocked it and let us in. She stood back by the door as I flipped the switch on. When the lights flickered to life, she climbed right into the ring, a determined skip in her step.
I headed over to her, and hopped over the ropes.
“Can we do that move that we never finished last time?” she asked.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” I remembered her major freak out and how shitty it made me feel that she could think I’d actually hurt her. Anger burned inside of me and I turned away, trying to push the fury down. She didn’t need my anger and any reason to believe that I could hurt her.
She rested her hand gently on my shoulder. “I trust you,” she said.
My heart stuttered as she dragged her fingers along my shoulder until she stood in front of me. I swallowed down the desire to crush my mouth to hers, rip those damn sweats off, and finally see what she kept hidden beneath.
She took my hand, and draped my arm across her neck, showing me and not just telling me, she trusted me. I glanced down, admiring all her curves, especially the one of her neck. It was long and slender, just begging me to run my tongue along it.
I shook my head, clearing it of erotic thoughts and focused on why we were here. She was giving me her trust and I didn’t want to betray that.
“You see this hand?” I held up the hand of my free arm. “This is the hand you have to worry about. This hand is the one that usually finishes the choke. You want to grab it, and try to get it off of you, but remember to stay active. Keep fighting. So, while you are trying to get the hand off, continue to stomp his feet, and keep trying to land an elbow to the body. If you get an elbow to the body, pull that down, and punch him in the groin. Then, shove the hand off, and duck out from the hold. If you get out, kick him hard in the side, or the stomach, to get him as far away from you as you can, and then run. Switch places with me.”
She walked behind me, and I grabbed her arm, wrapping it around my throat. Heat radiated off of her body, and her breath skittered warmly against my neck. Her skin was damp with sweat, yet she still smelled so damn good.
I demonstrated the move for her. “You got it?”
“I do,” she breathed.
“Show me.”
She demonstrated what I had taught her with perfect precision. “I got it right!” she exclaimed, and jumped up and down. I licked my lips, watching her tits bounce with each movement.
“You did.” I took my eyes away from her chest. “Good job. I think that’s enough for tonight.” Because, if I didn’t get out of there right that damn minute, I was going to grab those fucking tits and bend her over the ropes.
“Can we meet again tomorrow?” The drop in her voice almost undid me.
“I’ll be here,” I managed.
She bit her lip, and I had to look away. “I’ll see you then.” She stepped out of the ropes, and I forced back the urges coursing through me. She gave me a wave and headed to the door. Her ass swayed with each step, and without that damn t-shirt hanging over it, I could see the outline of it, and how amazingly round it was.
She disappeared into the night, and I went right to the bag. I punched the shit out of it so I didn’t run after that ass and the girl who was starting to become more than just a body with a hole.
Chapter 11
Nixon
My phone rang as I drove to Mark’s. I glanced down and rolled my eyes when I saw Home flash across the screen. The only time I got a call from that number was to be bitched at. I wasn’t really in the mood to deal with them, but if I didn’t answer, they’d just keep calling until I did. So, I gritted my teeth and answered.
“Yeah,” I spat.
“Nixon, it’s your mother,” she said, like people didn’t have caller ID, and the way she said mother, it was obvious this wasn’t going to be a pleasant call. Not like they ever were. Getting a root canal with no Novocain was more enjoyable than speaking with either of my parents.<
br />
“I know,” I muttered as I came to a stop at a red light. “What do you want?” I wanted to get to the point and get off the phone as soon as possible. There was no reason to drag this shit out any longer than necessary.
“Our check for your tuition was returned. We figured it was a mistake, so your father spent an hour on the phone getting transferred from one department to the next only to find out you didn’t enroll this semester.”
Oh, fuck. Here we go. The light changed, and I dropped the clutch and hit the gas, refusing to say anything. I’m sure she had more than enough to say for the both of us.
“We both agreed that it must’ve been a misunderstanding.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding. I dropped out,” I interrupted, and waited for the shit storm she was about to unleash.
“Excuse me?” she snapped with that tone she had been using on me since I was five. “Were you planning on telling us? Or did you think you could pretend that nothing changed and we’d never figure it out?”
“To be honest. You two were the farthest thoughts from my mind. It’s my fucking life,” I growled into the phone.
“Don’t you dare use that word while speaking with me. You might be three thousand miles away, but I am still your mother. I carried you for nine months, and spent seventy-two hours in labor to bring you into this world.”
The longest seventy-two hours of her life. She loved to remind me about that. She also liked to remind me that Kennedy came out almost an hour after she went into labor. Because Kennedy was better at everything, even pushing her way through a fucking cervix.
I clenched my teeth because if I opened my mouth, it was going to be a total shit show.
“You will re-enroll next semester,” she said matter-of-factly, and I imagined her on the other end, examining her nails, and thinking of how she’d rather be spending her time at the nail salon than talking to her own son.
“No, I won’t.”
“You have two semesters left before you finish your degree and you will finish it. Or you will pay every single penny back that your father and I wasted for the past three years. You got that?!”
There was no way in fucking hell either of those things were going to happen. I didn’t even want to go to college. They shoved it down my throat and forced me. The only choice I had was where. So, I purposely chose the place where I could get as far away from their miserable asses as possible. Yet, they still found a way to piss me off.
“Whatever,” I said, just so I could get off the phone.
“This isn’t a threat, Nixon. It’s a promise. Re-enroll or expect a bill in the mail.” She let out a sigh. “If only you were more like Kennedy. She would never do anything like this.”
“Because she’s so damn perfect, right? Well you know what.” I weighed the words in my mind before blurting them out. “Your perfect little daughter is sleeping with Beckham, the same guy who used to get drunk off of your vodka. Who got a girl pregnant in California, and bailed on her, moving across the country so he didn’t have to take responsibility. So, if I were you, I’d be a little more concerned about your precious daughter before she becomes another one of Beckham’s casualties.”
The line went dead, and tension pulled tight across my neck as my blood boiled. “Fuck!” I threw my phone onto the passenger floor; lucky the screen didn’t shatter into a million pieces.
I pulled into the parking lot and slammed Tanya into park. I reached across to the passenger seat and retrieved my phone. Without even thinking, I opened my texts, and pulled up Kennedy’s name.
Mom knows. I told her EVERYTHING. Good luck getting out of this one.
A smile spread across my face. Stupid bitch. She’d never understand what it was like to be a disappointment but I was sure as hell going to try to show her. It wasn’t fair that she got to live her life on a goddamned pedestal. I vowed to myself that I would do everything in my power to knock it out from beneath her and maybe I finally had.
I shoved my phone in my pocket and headed inside. Mark wanted to meet with me today, and I had time between clients.
I headed inside and went right to Mark’s shithole of an office in the back corner. He didn’t even have any walls, just a desk and a chair. There were a few guys training in the ring and a couple others on bags. All new meat, barely eighteen and hoping to be the next big thing I was sure.
That’s how I’d felt the first time I walked in those doors. The difference was, I didn’t hope. I just knew. Mark had said he saw something in me that reminded him of himself. He knew I had what it took, and he was the only person to ever believe in me. I sure as hell wasn’t going to let him down.
“Hey.” I approached Mark. His head was in a stack of papers, and when he heard me, he leaned back with a smile.
“Sit,” he said, never one for pleasantries which is probably why we got along so well.
I plopped into the chair, dropped my keys on his desk, and lounged back.
“How’s your face?” He nodded toward me.
“Fine.” It was just bruised. “I’ve had worse.” After my first fight, I was barely recognizable, but I still managed to win. Instead of losing steam, I let each hit fuel my fire, and I came out on top. That was the moment I knew I wanted the cage to be my life. The next day, I stopped going to my classes.
Mark scratched his ear that had become cauliflowered from years of taking beatings. “Ain’t that the truth,” he said with a laugh.
“So what’s up? Why’d you want to meet?”
“I spoke with Sal, and he said he booked you with Seth.”
I punched my palm. “I can’t wait. Once I beat him—”
Mark held his hand up and leaned forward, resting his huge arms on his desk. “I have concerns.”
“Oh, come on. Not you too. Is everyone turning into a fucking pussy?”
Mark raised a dark eyebrow at me. “The closest I’ll ever be to a pussy is having one around my dick. Got it?”
I laughed and gave him a nod.
“As I was saying, Seth is a known manipulator. He’s a sick fuck that finds pleasure in not just the physical part of the fight, but also the mental. He will get in your head.”
“Like I told Sal, he won’t. I don’t have weaknesses. He’s got nothing on me.”
“No? Then what the fuck happened the other night? You were unfocused. A stumbling fool at first, and then a loose cannon. You lost control. You’re lucky you didn’t get disqualified.”
“They wouldn’t disqualify me.”
“You need to stop thinking that you’re fucking invincible because it will be the death of you. Just tell me you’ve dealt with whatever that was the other night.”
“It’s taken care of.”
“That’s all I want to hear. We have to kick up your training. Seth will be a challenge. I’ll write up a new schedule this week.”
I stood up and gave Mark a fist bump. “Sounds good.”
I headed back to Tanya and my phone buzzed in my pocket. I slid it out and saw Kennedy finally messaged me back. I swiped the screen, and laughed as I read her response.
You’re pathetic.
Chapter 12
Nixon
Sassy meowed and rubbed up against my leg as I was about to walk out the door. I bent down and scooped her up. I scratched her scruff, and she purred her gratitude. “Sorry, girl. I’m cheating on you again tonight.”
I went to the cabinet and pulled out some catnip. I held it up to Sassy, and she suddenly didn’t give two shits about me. “Have at it,” I said and placed her and her kitty crack on the floor.
I snuck out the door. Not like I had to, Sassy was currently on her back, rolling around like a pig in shit.
It didn’t take long to get across town, and for a change, I beat Brooklyn there. I got out of Tanya and headed inside. I turned the lights on and went over to the punching bag. I started jabbing at the bag, and within minutes, I’d already worked up a sweat. I stripped my shirt off and continued, switching it up by a
dding kicks.
Sweat dripped down my forehead and I kept going. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and it was the same feeling I got before a fight. I loved that feeling. Lived for it.
I punched the bag one more time and pushed off. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Brooklyn. Her curls were pulled back into a pony tail except for a few stubborn ones. She looked beautiful hanging on the climbing rope.
“Don’t stop on my account,” she said with that gorgeous smile of hers.
“Enjoying the view?” I joked as I held up my arm and flexed.
Her tongue darted out and she swiped it across her bottom lip. And damn that was sexy as hell. “Maybe,” she said as a blush crept up her cheeks. “You never told me if this is where you train.”
“Yup.” I picked up my shirt off the ground and sat down on the bench.
She smiled and joined me. “Tell me more.”
If it were any other girl, I would have brushed it off, jumped in the ring and gotten this training session going, but with Brooklyn, I didn’t want to rush anything. I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. It was a weird fucking feeling, and I couldn’t explain it for the life of me. But for the first time in my life, I wanted to let someone in.
“A retired fighter, Mark Williams, opened this place. He’s actually the one who got me into fighting. He’s my coach now. I think he just missed the ring, you know? And now he gets to relive the fight through me. And I get to use this place whenever I want.”
“Seems like a pretty nice deal.”
“It’s not bad.”
“So what made you choose a sport that does this?” She lifted her hand and gently rested her finger tips beneath the bruise on my face.
My dick hardened at her touch, and my desire to have her only grew. I cleared my throat as if that would help the raging hard-on I had going on. “I like to win, and in the cage, I always win.”