by M. L. Young
“Me, too. I want to talk to you about something, actually,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“I think it’s too soon, but maybe not. I’d rather talk about it in person,” he said.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Nope, not at all. It’s actually good, I think, depending on how you look at it,” he said.
“I’ll trust you on this one,” I said.
I put on my pajamas and rolled under the covers until staring at my screen and texting him drained me and caused a heaviness in my eyes that I couldn’t deny. Goodnight, boyfriend, I thought.
Chapter Nineteen
Liam
“Remember, no matter what they say it’s going to be good. You won your fight, you got the submission of the night, and you’re going big places,” Tino said as we waited outside Mike’s office.
“I know. I just hope it’s what I think it is. That would really culminate everything I’ve been waiting for into something definitively tangible,” I said.
“Mr. Potter will see you now,” his secretary said.
“It’s going to be fine,” Tino said before we walked through the doors and into his office.
His office was huge, the largest I’d ever seen in New York, with couches, a flat screen TV, a bar, and even a punching bag. The view was spectacular, looking out over Midtown. Mike looked up from his papers and took off his glasses to greet us. “So glad you could make it,” he said.
“I’m so honored to be meeting you again. Thank you so much for having us,” I said, shaking his hand.
“So, I talked to the staff, the board, and everyone about you. We reviewed your fight footage about five times, analyzing it and seeing your style and presence in the octagon. You have great talent, that’s for sure,” he said.
“Thank you so much. I’ve been training for a while now,” I said.
“I can tell you have. When we consider offering a contract, for however many fights it’s for, we like to look at the big picture. It’s more than just a fight here or there, but rather how they all fit together and how good of a performance we think you’re going to put out. We obviously can’t have bad matches, and even though each one with each opponent is different, we need a sense of electricity and excitement if we’re going to keep the lights on here and make enough money for our investors. Do you understand so far?” he asked.
“I do. I know that you’re running a company first and poor fights don’t equal great ticket and pay-per-view sales,” I said.
“Great, I’m glad we’re on the same page. After reviewing your fight, the audience reactions to you coming out and after your win, and reactions to your social media presence, we believe you’re a guy we want to get behind,” he said.
My heart started racing, my eyes widening as I felt the dump of adrenaline and hormones in my bloodstream. Was he about to say what I thought he was going to say? Was my hard work about to turn into a great reality?
“We want to make you, Liam, into one of our bigger stars. Now, it will take time, and a few fights, before people really know your name, but we have faith in you. Do you have faith in yourself to fulfill this role, if offered to you?” he asked.
“Sir, I would work day and night, no matter what you needed, to fill that role for you and the company. If you can count on anybody, it’s me,” I said, rubbing my clammy hands together in my lap.
“Then what we want to do is offer you a three-fight contract. You will be contracted to work with us and us alone, no other promotions whether professional or not, for your next three fights. If you do well, and I believe you will, larger, more lucrative contracts will come your way. Assuming that happens, we’ll help secure endorsements, interviews, and anything else for you that we believe will propel your stardom and the legitimacy of this promotion. You’ll be offered a seventy-five/seventy-five deal, with you earning seventy-five thousand for showing up to each fight, as well as another seventy-five grand per fight if you win said match. You, of course, are still eligible for the knockout of the night and submission of the night bounties as well. How does that sound?” he asked.
My jaw dropped as I sat there sweating and wondering how I got so lucky. At a minimum I’d make over two hundred thousand dollars for my next three fights, but that could double to four hundred and fifty thousand dollars if I also won each one. I wasn’t in this solely for money, but that was life-changing, even if I never fought another pro match again. That didn’t even include the bounties, if I won them.
“That’s, that’s just so generous of you. I’d love to accept those terms,” I said, smiling from ear to ear.
“Great news! We will, of course, take care of travel and accommodations to each fight, assuming it’s out of town, and also promotional pictures that will be taken soon for the upcoming fight. I’ll have the legal team draft the contracts and send them over to you, and you’ll want to return those as soon as possible, because we already have you on the card for the next fight in six weeks,” he said.
“Already?” I asked, excited.
“If you think you can handle a fight so soon after the last one. We really want to put you through your paces,” he said.
“I can handle it,” I said.
“Do you happen to know where it’ll take place?” Tino asked.
“Right now we’re eyeing the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It will be a very big production, the largest we’ve done, and we’re hoping to sell it out,” Mike said.
“Oh, that’s great, I know somebody out there,” I said, alluding to Cash.
“Great, then it’s settled. Like I said, expect the contract to be ready in a few days, likely by Tuesday or so, and then we’ll get you in for photos and any promotional videos they need from you, maybe the end of the next week or the week after, depending on scheduling,” Mike said.
“I’ll be ready. Thank you so much again. I’m so proud and happy to be a part of the PFC,” I said, and Mike stood up and shook our hands.
“It’s our pleasure, Liam. Talk to you soon,” he said before we walked out.
“Can you believe that?” I asked as Tino and I got into the elevator.
“That’s quite the deal, too. I was expecting a forty/forty or maybe fifty/fifty deal, but not the one you got. You really got lucky,” he said.
“You think?” I asked.
Even though I’d fought a lot, I wasn’t as versed in contracts or earnings. I guess I just never really looked up any of that information on how much fighters I watched earned, since I felt it was more of a personal matter and not any of my business.
“Yeah, that’s a salary for a guy who’s been around a while. A lower mid-card guy who gives a great match, but isn’t star material,” he said.
“Well, I guess it shows great promise for the future, then,” I said as we handed our visitor cards to the security desk.
“It shows that he wasn’t lying when he said they had big plans for you. With a fight six weeks away, you need to hop back on that training. I know it’s soon after your last fight, but you’ll need to be as sharp as you can be. It’s no longer a proving ground for you, but the big leagues,” he said.
“I’ll be in later today for a couple hours. I think I need to just go walk around now and clear my head,” I said.
“Take all the time you need. I know you’ll get your work done,” Tino said, patting me on the back and walking off.
I walked to the southern edge of Central Park and sat down on a bench across from the Plaza Hotel while I watched the horse and buggies trot around and just let the breeze hit my face. Who would’ve thought that I, a kid from Iowa who was a junior wrestler, could make it to the big leagues and earn a contract with the PFC, of all things? I knew both of my brothers were successful, and maybe that was what always drove me to be my best, but I just never knew if I’d make it this far, even though I always dreamt about it.
Not only that, but this deal would definitely allow me to move and get a place closer to the gym, in a l
ess noisy area of town, and even closer to Jessica, which I was excited about. The distance was becoming annoying, but soon we wouldn’t have to go as far to see one another.
I pulled out my phone and texted my family in a group text while also asking Cash if I could crash at his place while I was in California. They were all telling me how proud they were, with Bentley typing that I was a beast in all caps, which made me grin like a madman as I sat on the bench and probably got weird looks.
Cash said I definitely could stay with him, and he’d make sure we’d be able to go out and do something together, since I wouldn’t be there very long—just a few days, if it was anything like last time. I knew taking Jessica likely wouldn’t happen, especially cross-country.
I was just happy that I’d finally made something of myself and I’d officially hit the big times. It felt good.
Chapter Twenty
Jessica
Three weeks had passed since Liam got his contract and I’d swear he was still on cloud nine.
We’d celebrated the night after, going nuts and giving each other a lot of love. He was likely the happiest he’d ever been. He was training nonstop, spending every waking moment he could in the gym and trying to get himself in better shape and conditioning for the match.
He would come to see me with calluses and blisters on his feet and hands, but he said they were nothing and just put some cream on them before coming back the next day with them looking a little worse. I worried about him, but he knew what he was doing and he was going incredibly intense on the preparation.
He told me he was going to Los Angeles for the fight, though I couldn’t go with him. I knew that he’d be training a lot, and besides, he wanted to see Cash and spend time with him since they were on opposite ends of the country. We’d talked about me coming back to his hometown to meet his family, though we hadn’t made any actual plans yet on when or how that would happen. I told him it would have to happen over the summer, with school starting back up in August, and he said he would try to make it happen.
I sat in the library at school and went over my French work before our final next week. I was beyond stressed out, and almost certain my hair was turning a little bit gray as I tried to shove as much history and knowledge into my head as humanly possible.
“How’s it going?” Brianne asked, coming up and sitting across from me.
“Oh, hey, what’s up?” I asked, taking a much-needed break.
“Just trying to figure out how I’m going to pass all my classes and become a senior next year,” she said, taking her books out.
“Yeah, tell me about it. I regret taking this class big time. I thought it would be fun and I’d learn more about Paris and whatever, but yeah, it turned out to be a nightmare,” I said.
“Any big plans for the summer? Are you staying in the city, or going home?” she asked.
“Staying here, though I’m sure I’ll visit home a few times. What about you?” I asked.
“Going back home to Iowa for the summer,” she said.
“Oh, my boyfriend’s family lives there,” I said.
“You have a boyfriend?” she asked, looking surprised.
“Oh, yeah, I do,” I said, laughing a little.
“What’s his name? How long have you been together?” she asked.
“Uh, about a month now officially, though we were together about five or six weeks before that. We just weren’t official then, just seeing each other,” I said.
“What’s his name? Do I know him?” she asked.
“Well, you know of him,” I said nervously.
“What? Spill,” she said, leaning forward.
“His name is Liam,” I said.
“Why does that sound so familiar?” she asked, a puzzled look on her face.
“He was the fighter from that one night we all went out,” I said.
“Oh my god, you’re dating him?” she asked.
“Yeah, I am,” I said.
“Good for you, landing a hunk like that. Is it serious?” she asked.
“I’d say so, about as serious as it can be for how long we’ve been seeing each other,” I said.
“He just had a big fight, didn’t he? I think I saw it at the bar,” she said.
“Yeah, he won his fight and has another in a few weeks out in Los Angeles,” I said.
“Are you going with?” she asked.
“No, I have to stay here,” I said.
“Must be rough, with all the women out there,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, think about it, it’s Los Angeles and he’s a pro fighter. Models, celebrities, and groupies will all want a piece of him. The last time I gave my trust to a man like that he screwed me over. You’re a better woman than I for trusting him,” she said.
“Yeah, I guess,” I said slowly before going back to my studying.
I shook off her comments, knowing that Liam wasn’t like that, before I got back into the groove and started reading my textbook. He wouldn’t do that to me, I knew it.
•••
“I’m surprised he isn’t having you go with him,” Taylor said later that night.
“I’m not his groupie,” I said.
“Yeah, but with all that temptation,” she said.
“You know, Brianne talked about that earlier, and it makes me mad. Why does everyone seem to think he’s going to cheat on me?” I asked, raising my voice.
“It’s Los Angeles, Jess. Better, more devout men than him go there and never come back the same. Not to mention, he’ll be hanging out with his brother, the celebrity,” Emily said.
I’d told them about Cash the other night while slightly intoxicated while we watched the housewives on TV. I made them swear not to tell anybody, mainly because Liam didn’t want to be compared to him, and they both promised, though now I knew I should’ve kept my mouth shut.
“Yeah, I didn’t even think about that. He’ll be exposed to even more beautiful women now,” Taylor said.
“Cash is in a relationship, if you didn’t know, and isn’t going to take him out clubbing or something. Besides, I know Liam is faithful to me,” I said.
“Is he?” Emily asked with an almost snide tone.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“It’s not like you’re with him all the time. Have you ever heard of a side chick? I know tons of women our age who’ve been cheated on even when everything seemed perfect. That’s why you need to keep a lock on your man,” Emily said.
“She’s not as paranoid as she seems. I stalked my man on social media for a while before fully trusting him. Guys are sneaky, and guys our age want one thing and one thing only: pussy. One good one isn’t even enough, so they go looking for more. Going to the other side of the country and being nowhere near your girlfriend calls for an easy hookup with no strings attached,” Taylor said.
“No, Liam wouldn’t do that, and I know Cash wouldn’t let him, either. You’re just trying to shove propaganda into my mind so I get scared and ruin this with him,” I said.
“No, Jess, calm down. You know we’re not trying to hurt you, just to help you. We know you’ve been hurt before, and we don’t want it to happen again,” Taylor said.
“Sure, I’ve been cheated on, and sure, it sucked, but Liam isn’t those guys, and he knows how much that would hurt me,” I said.
“Just keep an eye on his social media while he’s gone and maybe talk to him before he leaves. Probe him and try to find out what kind of plans he has while he’s there. Don’t ask suspiciously, but just casually, like you’re interested in his life and want him to have fun while he’s out there. Trust us on this,” Emily said.
“Fine, I’ll do that, but nothing more. I’m not stalking him, or telling him what to do, or controlling him in any way. I’m better than that. I thought you two were as well,” I said before going into my room and closing the door.
I welled up a little before lying back and unlocking my phone. He
wasn’t those other guys, and he wasn’t the type to just toss me aside for some side chick or whatever they called those girls. He cared about me, he’d told me as much, and I knew how serious he wanted to be. Still, though, I couldn’t help but feel a little paranoid and wonder if he was going to be completely faithful, or if he’d get a little drunk and do something stupid that he wouldn’t do sober.
I loved my girls so much, but sometimes they could be super big bitches.
•••
“I’m really going to miss you,” I said to Liam weeks later, the morning he was supposed to leave for Los Angeles.
“I know, I’ll miss you too. I hope this fight goes well. I’ve been working my ass off these past six weeks,” he said, running his fingers through my hair.
“What are you and your brother going to do?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. I’m only there for a couple days, and I know he has some work stuff to do at some point. He mentioned going out one day or night or something, but didn’t fill me in on any actual plans,” he said.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked, looking up at him while we were lying down.
“Anything,” he said.
“Would you ever cheat on me?” I asked.
“What?” he replied, with a serious look of confusion.
“Would you ever cheat on me, ever?” I asked.
“Where is this coming from?” he asked.
“Just…people, I guess. You’re a big fighter now, your brother is a celebrity, and there will be women throwing themselves at you. They put it into my head that you might be tempted, and I don’t want to believe them, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared at all,” I said.
“I’m honestly a little sad that you’d even ask me this question. I didn’t think I’d ever given you any reason to think I’d cheat on you or anything,” he said.
“You haven’t! I just get paranoid because you and I are working so well and this is getting so serious and I just get upset that it will be disrupted and we won’t continue,” I said, and I started to cry.
“Babe, don’t cry. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said, sitting up.