by Abby Niles
“That won’t happen.”
“How many times did I smack a focus glove upside your head this morning?”
Silence.
“How many, Dante?”
“Six.”
“Six! Six! Distraction, Dante Jones, is going to cost you the one thing you busted your ass for. And you got no one to blame but your damned self.”
Cait pressed her hand to her mouth. She had had no idea she was screwing up his performance. Dante always seemed so cool and collected, so in control. Heck, she didn’t even know she had the power to distract him until last night.
Guilt twisted her stomach. This wasn’t his fault. It was hers.
“Listen, Mike, things will calm down. I swear it. Caitlyn and I are ironing out some differences. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“You’ve lost your mind. What did I tell you weeks ago when I caught you two rolling around on the mat?”
Silence.
“Not going to answer? Fine. She’d be the reason you lose this fight.”
Cait stifled a gasp. She couldn’t be the reason he was distracted. He wasn’t trying to win this fight just for himself, but for Frank.
“Three weeks.” Cait heard a slamming that sounded distinctively like a fist hitting a desk. “Three fucking weeks. That’s all. Can’t you put her aside for three weeks?”
“No.”
Her heart stilled. Dante cared so much he was willing to sacrifice his training to be with her. She blinked back tears. And she cared too much to allow him to do that.
“Then you might as well forget training altogether. I don’t have time to spend on a man who can’t get his priorities straight.”
The breath caught tight in her lungs. No! Oh, please no.
“What are you saying, Mike?”
She clenched her fist, afraid of what would happen next.
“Need me to spell it out? I quit. Get your shit and find a new coach.”
Cait closed her eyes. Guilt weighed her down and she slumped against the wall.
“Mike—”
“No. Out.”
Dante muttered something inaudible. Then a chair scraped against the floor. She edged behind a free weight stand as Dante stormed across the gym. When he disappeared into the locker room, she entered the office and closed the door.
Mike’s head snapped up. Then his eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”
“If I promise to get Dante back on track, will you please not quit? He can’t lose this fight.”
Mike folded his fingers and placed them on top of the desk. “Do you know what you are agreeing to?”
“Yes.”
“I assume you overheard our conversation. So you know he’s unwilling to part ways with you,” Mike said, his words laced with disgust. “How do you propose to change his mind?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll find a way. I promise.”
Mike studied her for a long minute, then picked up a pen and started writing on a yellow legal pad. “There is nothing you can do. Good day, Ms. Moore.”
He’d dismissed her? Hell, no. She stepped forward and slapped her hand on the desk. Mike jumped and looked up.
“I won’t be the reason Dante loses the one thing he wants more than anything.”
“The title is no longer what he wants.” He stared at her pointedly. “He’s made his decision, and so have I.”
“I can fix this. Just give me the chance.”
Mike scoffed and leaned back in his chair. “If your plan is to fix whatever this problem is you’re having, then you’re wasting my time. I don’t need a lovestruck fighter in here. I need you out of the picture. Completely. Unless you’re willing to go that far, get out of my office.”
Yes, she cared about Dante, but he couldn’t lose his dream on a woman who didn’t know if she could accept his career.
Cait squared her shoulders. “You have my word. I’ll be out of the picture and you’ll have your focused fighter back. Please don’t quit.”
Mike tapped his pen on the pad then nodded. “One chance, missy. I’ll tell Dante he has one more training session with me. If I have to remind him to put his hands up once, our deal is off. Got it?”
“You won’t regret this.”
“You better make damned sure I don’t. Right now, I consider you the Yoko Ono of extreme fighting.”
…
Dante hurled his deodorant across the room. The stick shattered against the wall. What the hell would he do now? Mike was the only coach who could teach him how to take Sentori on the ground. Without his help, Dante would lose.
Damn it!
It was only three weeks. Three weeks to throw himself into his training and clinch the title. The title he’d always wanted.
He looked heavenward. “Frank, man, I miss you. I could really use your advice right now.”
Caitlyn had thrown a left hook that blindsided him last night. Never had he believed she’d turn the tables on him and become the aggressor. Her one-eighty had to be from her experience with Amanda, some weird tactic to throw him off his game. It had worked.
But he’d recovered, and he’d made it clear exactly what he wanted with her.
He’d expected her to stop him from leaving. Call him back. She hadn’t. And there had been a biting sting he’d been unprepared for at her silence. That sting had stayed with him through the night and into his training this morning.
“Dante.”
He twisted on the bench to find Mike striding into the locker room.
“Yeah?”
“I think things got carried away in my office. I’m not pleased with what’s going on. But to just cut you off wasn’t cool of me. What do you say we give it another go?”
Relief hit Dante. He stood. “I promise not to disappoint you again.”
“I’m counting on that. But I warn you, my patience is gone. If you’re not in here tomorrow giving me your all, I think it’d be best if we parted ways.”
“No problem. I’ll give you that and more.”
“Good. Meet me here at noon.” Mike turned and left.
Dante exhaled as he grabbed his phone out of his duffle bag, then sat and dialed Caitlyn’s number. They had to talk. No more kissing, touching, or any other distraction mechanism that could come to mind. A serious lay-out-on-the-line-on-both-their-parts talk. He promised he’d give her time to process what he’d said, and she’d had more than enough time to do so.
She answered on the first ring. “Hello.”
“We need to talk.”
“I agree.”
“How about we meet somewhere?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Face to face never works for us. Besides, what I have to say will only take a few seconds.”
He scowled. He had a pretty good idea what those few seconds she needed meant. “Scared I’ll change your mind?”
“I, uh…what?”
“Meet me somewhere.”
“I-I can’t, Dante.”
“Because you know if you do, you’ll never say what you intend to say. You’re running scared.”
“I’m not running!”
“What was last night about, then? Did you think by coming on to me, I’d lose interest?” Her sharp breath was his answer. “News flash, Caitlyn. It didn’t work.”
…
“So what are you going to do about Dante?”
“I have no idea.” Cait glanced at Jack, who sat across from her beside Paul in the booth. She set down her coffee cup.
“Well, let’s see.” Paul ticked off his fingers. “You tried avoidance. That didn’t work. You tried telling him you weren’t interested. That didn’t work. You had a bitch ask if you were the pity date. That didn’t work. You turned whore on his macho ass and even that didn’t work.” He threw his hands up. “I’m at a loss, Cait.”
“Are you sure you want to cut all ties to Dante?” Jack asked.
Cait grimaced. “I don’t have a choice. His coach quit because of me, refused
to have anything to do with Dante if I was still in the picture. This fight means everything to him. I can’t have him lose something he’s spent his whole life working toward on my conscience, or his, for that matter.”
“Why not talk to him?” Jack asked.
“I tried that. I screwed it up, but I tried.”
“What happened?”
“He called me a few minutes after I left the building. I shouldn’t have answered the damned phone. I didn’t have time to think it through, but if I didn’t answer, he would’ve hunted me down. I didn’t want to deal with him in person. I had no idea he could be just as overbearing over the phone.”
Paul leaned forward. “What did you say?”
“I didn’t say much of anything. The stupid man controlled the conversation and then called me out on last night and told me my plan didn’t work. I was so flustered, I just hung up. He didn’t call back. Why would he? He’d gotten his answer.”
Paul grimaced. “Man, you did screw up.”
“Thanks, Paul.”
He gave her a hey-you-said-it-first look.
“Why didn’t you tell him Mike said you had to be out of the picture?” Jack asked.
“I didn’t get a chance to think! Besides, I wanted to keep Mike out of it. This training is extremely important for Dante’s fight. Dante being furious with his coach wouldn’t help anything. I wanted it to come across as my decision, so he could blame me. It totally backfired in my face. Now he’s all determined because I’m ‘running scared.’ ” Cait put finger quotes around the last two words. “I have twenty-four hours to convince a man who doesn’t listen—”
Paul wagged his finger. “Oh, no. He listens. He just doesn’t care. Big difference.”
“True. Dante wants what Dante wants. How do you get through to a man like that?”
Jack studied her for a moment. “Sounds like the only thing you’ve never accomplished is pissing the man off.”
Cait froze. Huh. “Yeah, that’s about right.”
She’d seen jealousy and determination. What else? But she couldn’t recall his anger ever directed at her. Other people, yes. Her? No. How would he react if she finally did make him angry? Furious, even?
“Uh-oh. What did I say?”
“Anger’s a thought.”
Jack held up his hands. “Oh, Cait. Don’t listen to me. Pissing that man off might have some serious consequences.”
Paul snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it! Oh, it’s so clever. Cait will go on a date with a different guy.”
“Are you wishing death on someone?” Jack asked.
“No! It’s perfect.”
Cait opened her mouth to object, but Paul interrupted. “Hear me out. It’s not going to be some random guy. It’s going to be his opponent.”
“What?” Cait and Jake exclaimed in unison.
“No, no, listen. I swear, it makes sense. You want to piss He-Man off and get him back on track. What better way to do that than to get him pissed off at the guy he’s supposed to take down? Really, think about it. Most guys have to bottle up their rage issues. Not this one. He knows he’ll have the chance to kick the shit out of this guy. I’ll bet my life it’ll make him more determined than ever to get beefed up.”
It really did make sense. Was she insane for even contemplating the idea?
No, she wasn’t. On the first night they’d met, Dante had admitted rivalry could make a fighter train harder. What if she made this his rivalry fight? Would that get him focused?
At the same time, her stomach heaved at the thought of getting near Sentori. But it wasn’t like she’d be dating him or even have to kiss him—God forbid. One outing with Sentori should get Dante enraged and shoved in the right direction.
Jack sighed. “If you do this you might lose any chance of being with the guy. Are you sure you want to risk that?”
Pain twisted Cait’s heart, but if Dante won the belt he’d spent years training for, any pain was worth it. “If his training wasn’t suffering, it’d be different, but it is—because of me. I can’t risk the most important fight of his career when I don’t know if I can get past the MMA baggage he comes with in the first place. It’s completely unfair to him.”
“What if he ends up hating you?”
“I can only hope that doesn’t happen, and once his fight is over I can try to make amends, and maybe we can see where things go.”
“And if that doesn’t happen?” Jack asked.
“At least I didn’t cost him his fight. Right now, that’s all that matters. I’ll face the consequences later.” She bit her lip. “There’s one problem with the plan, though.”
Paul quirked a brow.
“How am I supposed to get a date with Sentori?”
Paul smiled. “Um, I do believe Amy invited you to the pool party the fighters were throwing this afternoon.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, honey, grab your swimsuit. We’re going to snare us a fighter.”
…
Dante walked onto the patio. The clear blue sky sparkled off the surface of the pool, inviting him in for a dip. He could use one. A dull ache still resided behind his eyes and his stomach still rebelled at the thought of food. It had taken everything in him to down protein shakes throughout the day.
He glanced around. Pro and amateur fighters alike mingled with girlfriends or wives in small clusters. Some splashed about in the pool, while others sat around large outdoor tables and chairs or leaned against the bar, drinking. No drinking for him tonight. If ever again.
He saw Tommy standing beside his best friend, Julie. Dante ambled over.
Tommy smiled. “Hey, Inferno.” He glanced behind Dante and frowned. “Where’s that beautiful girlfriend of yours?”
He should have known, drunk or not, Tommy would have remembered Caitlyn. The man never forgot a beautiful woman. “She couldn’t make it.”
“That’s too bad. I wanted to introduce her to Julie.” He nodded toward the dark-haired woman next to him. “I thought they’d hit it off.”
“Hi, Dante,” Julie said. “I hate that I missed the party, it was a huge win for Tommy, but I couldn’t get away from the clinic. Tommy told me about Caitlyn. Good to see you settling down.”
Her gaze slid over to Tommy. Wistfulness entered her eyes before she blinked and focused on Dante. Any trace of the helpless emotion was wiped from her face as she sent him a bright smile. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
Dante returned the smile even though he felt bad for her. He’d hung out with the two long enough to know the woman had feelings for her childhood friend. It’d taken Dante a while to see it; she was damned good at hiding her emotions, but every once in a while her guard slipped, like now, and he saw how she truly felt.
Which was sad. Dante knew Tommy didn’t return the feeling. The man lived the bachelor lifestyle, and he had no plans to give it up anytime soon. Oh, he loved Julie, would kill anyone who laid a finger on her, but it’d always been in a big brother sort of way.
Tommy was a fool for not seeing what was right in front of him.
Julie was a good woman. One Dante would’ve loved for Caitlyn to have met instead of Amanda. “Maybe the four of us could get dinner one night.”
“I’d like that.” Tommy looked over Dante’s shoulder and grimaced. “The asshole is headed this way.”
Dante glanced back, his grip on his water bottle tightening. Sentori strode toward them. When he reached them, he said, “Dante, my man, where’s that gorgeous girlfriend of yours?”
Sentori was smart enough not to make any derogatory remarks in front of other people. Dante wished the man would slip up—just once. Most of the fighters here wanted any excuse to kick his ass, and speaking ill of another fighter’s girlfriend topped the list.
“She couldn’t make it.”
“Ah, well. There are plenty of other delectables to choose from.” He swiped his arm through the air. “Take your pick, Inferno.”
“The Inferno has a happy woman at home, S
entori. You might want to try it.”
“No woman would settle for him, Tommy,” Dante said.
Sentori’s brows drew together. “I thought you said your girlfriend couldn’t make it.”
Dante spun around. Caitlyn stood with Amy, Brad, and Paul at the edge of the pool, her red hair flowing around her face. The black bathing suit top plunged low between her breasts, the matching skirt hitting her upper thighs. Now she was delectable.
“I’m starting to see your obsession, Inferno. I think it’s the confidence. I hadn’t seen before. Hmm. I like it.”
Sentori was right. She was different again. She stood, sunglasses perched on her nose, head held high, drink in her hand, seemingly unaffected about being around the people she associated with her humiliation. She glanced in his direction but the damn sunglasses kept him from being certain she was looking at him. She turned away and laughed at something Paul said.
“Now she’s a piece of ass I’d gladly fuck. Think she’ll spread those legs for me?” Sentori asked into his ear.
“Not in a million years.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience, Inferno. Maybe you didn’t do it for her, but I will.”
Dante’s fist popped the plastic of the water bottle. Sentori lifted a brow at Dante and laughed. “I think it’s time to catch a piggy.”
He sauntered away. Dante breathed deeply, fighting to remain calm. The pig comments infuriated him. Sentori used them to get a rise out of him, but after witnessing how such cruelty had hurt Caitlyn, the words had become even harder to ignore.
Tommy sidled over, watching Caitlyn. “I thought you two were dating.”
Dante swallowed. This ugly embarrassment was his own damned fault. Why had he let everyone think things were fine?
Because he’d never imagined Caitlyn would show up to another fighter function. She was full of surprises.
“We’re not seeing things eye to eye right now.”
“Does this have to do with the other night?”
Dante shrugged. “That and other things.”