The Predator [1]

by Brooke May

  The bell rings, bringing me out of my thoughts. I missed the round. “He’ll get him in this last round,” Scott says as he gets up again and goes to Chamberlain’s side. Chamberlain has a light layer of sweat all over him, and his breathing is a little labored, but he isn’t as bad as The Sleeper.

  When Scott returns to his seat, his excitement is higher. “Ready to see how he got the name The Predator?”

  “Yes.” A megawatt smile spreads across my face. This is actually fun. And that’s because Chamberlain is winning. He springs up when the bell rings and goes in for the kill.

  “Can you see how The Sleeper is growing tired?” Scott points out, and I nod, seeing it easily. His movements aren’t as fluid or as fast as they were in the first round. He is staying back away from Chamberlain more. Chamberlain’s arms aren’t as close to his face as they were in the first round.

  “C’s moving from defense to offense,” Scott explains, somehow knowing that I’m watching only Chamberlain.

  He slowly starts to circle around The Sleeper, his eyes narrowed and set on his target. “He’s so predatory.”

  I don’t realize I said it aloud until Scott starts to laugh. “That’s why they call him The Predator, lil’ bit.”

  I watch closely as Chamberlain delivers blow after blow until The Sleeper finally falls to the canvas and doesn’t get back up. The referee steps in, backs Chamberlain up, checks The Sleeper, and then stands, taking Chamberlain’s arm and announcing him the winner.

  With the crowd going wild and pride shining through his whole face and body, his eyes are only on me and no one else. His smile is wide and infectious.

  “Come on.” Scott grabs my hand and guides me to the double doors of the locker rooms as Chamberlain makes his own way to us.

  When the door closes behind the three of us, Chamberlain picks me up; hands still in his gloves, he wraps his sweat covered arms around me, swinging me around. “Chamberlain! Stop!” I laugh as he slowly slides me down his front. I’m left feeling every single hot muscle against my hypersensitive skin.

  “Never.” He brushes a kiss across my lips. This earns us a groan from Scott.

  “Come on you two, let’s get you changed, C, and then we’ll go celebrate. I need to find a woman for the night.”

  “Just for the night?” I cock my head to the side, regarding him.

  He rolls his eyes. “I’ve told you. I’m too much for just one woman and especially for a long-term thing.” He cringes and waves his hands around.

  “I smell commitment problems.” I cross my arms, keeping my eyes on Scott while Chamberlain chuckles.

  I turn to allow Chamberlain to change, but he refuses to let me leave the room without him, not knowing what sick freaks are out there. His words, not mine.

  “Come on, Katie.” He laces his fingers with mine after he dresses and he guides us out of the building. A group of fans, mainly girls, stops us. That includes Amber and Lizzy.

  Chamberlain ignores their calls, but I see Scott hone in on one and brings her with us. “Fucking, Scott.” Chamberlain shakes his head as he unlocks my car and holds my door open for me. “Where to?” he asks Scott while shutting my door.

  “Same place?” Scott answers as he gets into the backseat with the girl who is busy typing away on her phone and chomping on her gum.

  That is rather annoying.

  I frown and turn back to the front while Chamberlain pulls us into the street and toward our next destination.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I’VE COME TO learn gum girl’s name is Patricia; she uses the word ‘like’ as a filler, and it’s almost every other word. Even though she is glad to have Scott’s attention, for now, she still focuses more on her phone. I also learned she is friends with all the girls who were waiting for Chamberlain, along with Amber and Lizzy. Twenty minutes after we got to the bar, they all showed up.

  Now, I’m sitting at the bar with a giant black X on my hand to indicate that I am a minor, which is fine. I’ve never been interested in drinking. Scott sits on the right side of me while Chamberlain stands behind me, close, slamming back drink after drink.

  He’s making me nervous. When my father drinks too much, he gets angry, mean, and very cruel; it makes me skittish and ready to get out of here.

  Plus, to top it all off, all the girls, including Patricia, who was friendly at the beginning, are glaring daggers at me. Chamberlain leans into me. “How are you doing, baby?” He nuzzles his face into my neck, sending the euphoric feeling I love down my spine. I lean my head back on him and smile as I inhale.

  “I’m fine. How are you?” Reaching up, I cup the back of his neck and hold him to me as his large hands wrap around my waist. He kisses me and then stands back, throwing his arms in the air.

  “I’m king of the fucking world! And I have my queen right here by my side!” He wraps his arm around me, making me giggle as he hoists me into the air. Every male in the bar cheers. He sets me back down to my feet and kisses me passionately, too passionately for public. I love this fun, playful, sexually hungry side of him but not with all these people.

  Suddenly, the rush to use the restroom hits me. It’s probably from all the water I’ve drunk in the last three hours. I stand and reach up on my toes to whisper in his ear. “I’m going to the restroom.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “No.” I hold up my hand. “I’ll be okay, just stay here and have fun.” He eyes me warily. “Please?”

  “Fine.” He takes another pull of his beer and watches me walk away.

  I relieve myself and am pulling my pants back up when I hear the door open. I freeze when I hear Amber’s laugh. “Can you believe he brought her here?” a voice who is not Amber ask.

  “He’s just playing around.” I peek through the crack of the stall and see Amber dabbing her too bright red lips and pushing her chest up so high she could probably touch her breasts with her chin. “He’ll come to his senses and come back to me; it’s just a matter of time.”

  “What makes you think he’ll come back to you and not come on to one of us?” the other girl asks, looking smug. “Or even leave her? She seems nice.” This one doesn’t seem too bad.

  Amber’s eyes shift. I think she spots me. I back up to hide. I’m relieved she doesn’t notice as she starts talking again. “Oh please, she’s a little rich bitch who is just slumming it. He’ll figure that out.”

  How dare her. She doesn’t even know me.

  “And if you bitches try to take him from me, I’ll blackmail you. And you know I can.” I’ve never understood why girls call each other by such horrible names, and then turn around and get angry at men calling them the same.

  I hear a grumbled agreement, and then the door opens again and shuts. Knowing the coast is clear, I exit my stall and wash my hands. I want to get back to where I’m safe and away from cruel girls.

  I’m drying my hands when, once again, I freeze. A toilet flushes, and Amber exits another stall adjusting herself again. She looks up, and a vindictive smile greets me.

  She knew I was here.

  “Well, hello Kaycee.”

  “It’s K.C.,” I grind out.

  “K.C.” She says my name in the most sickeningly sweet way. It is completely fake. She fixes her makeup again and doesn’t wash her hands.

  Disgusting.

  “So how does it work with you and the boys?” She tilts her head to me. “Do they share you or something? Because you should know Chamberlain has been known to share from time to time.”

  I gasp in horror. That doesn’t sound like him at all. Could he really be capable of something that vile?

  “Oh yes, Chamberlain never had a problem in his past. What makes you think you would be anything special to him? Especially since you probably don’t even know about Gwen.”

  Gwen?

  “So back to Scott and Chamberlain. Do they tag team you or just one at a -”

  “How dare you!” I cut her off. My fists ball tightly. “You know noth
ing about me, and you know nothing about my relationship with Chamberlain and my friendship with Scott.” I grab the door to leave, and “Never Say Never” by The Fray leaks into the room. “Stay away from me,” I warn her and then leave her standing there with a tube of lipstick halfway to her mouth.

  I storm down the hallway, not focusing on where I am going, and slam into a solid wall of muscle.

  “Whoa there, little lady.” A slurred voice that accompanies the hands that are grabbing my upper arms stops me from falling backward. The man looks old enough to be my father with a long, graying ponytail and a long beard. He smells like a mix of fish and alcohol. “What’s the rush, beautiful?” One of his eyes squints, and he tries his best to offer me a nice smile.

  “I need to get back to my boyfriend.” I offer him a smile in return.

  “All right then.” He lets go of me. “Don’t wander too far from him. A nice, pretty little thing like you could get hurt.” He pats my shoulders and moves out of my way.

  I walk back to the bar and find Scott in the same spot but with a bottle of water instead of a beer. Chamberlain is hovering over my empty barstool, ignoring the girls around him.

  That is another thing I don’t understand about girls. They wear tight outfits and act like complete idiots in the hopes of snagging a guy or trying to steal another girl’s man. Chamberlain has made it perfectly clear that he isn’t interested by having his back to them. He has more interest in his beer bottle’s label.

  I march over and take my seat back. Chamberlain drunkenly smiles down at me and slams the rest of his beer before asking for another. His hand returns to my waist, anchoring me to him. I look back at my glass of water and find it topped off.

  “Hey, is everything okay?” Scott leans toward me right at the moment I see Amber walk back in to join Lizzy and the rest of their friends. Scott follows my gaze and purses his lips. “Would you like to go, K.C.? I can get C to leave if you’re uncomfortable.”

  “I don’t want to rain on his parade,” I reply weakly, but I don’t want to be here.

  “Bullshit.” Scott stands and taps on Chamberlain’s shoulder. “C, let’s go. Your girl is getting uncomfortable.”

  Chamberlain quickly directs his focus on me. “I’m sorry, panda.” He takes Scott’s abandoned seat and pulls me on his lap. “Do you want to leave?” I nod into his chest. “What’s making you uncomfortable?”

  Everything. You drinking, the girls hating me.

  Scott clears his throat and jerks his head to where Amber is. Chamberlain growls and gets up, taking me with him against the safety of his chest. “Easy now, C.” Scott puts his hand on Chamberlain’s shoulder in an attempt to stop him. “Don’t make a scene; you know how you get when you drink too much.”

  “You fucking bitch!” he shouts, ignoring Scott. The bar silences and all eyes move back and forth from Chamberlain to Amber, who is standing completely still, horrified by Chamberlain’s outburst. “You couldn’t be faithful to me when were together, and now, after I finally find someone who actually cares about me, you try to ruin it! Leave me alone! Leave Katie alone, Amber!” Chamberlain grabs our coats and drags me out.

  “Then tell her about Gwen.” Amber recovers and challenges Chamberlain, crossing her arms with a smug, self-satisfied look on her face.

  Chamberlain cools off quickly. Going completely stiff next to me, he stands exactly how he was walking, with one leg in front of the other. “Okay! Well, that’s enough for one night!” Scott joins us, pushing me and jerking Chamberlain into motion.

  That is the second time I’ve heard her name.

  Who is she?

  When we walk into the cold winter air, Chamberlain starts to sway. “That will be the alcohol hitting him.” Scott quickly lifts Chamberlain against his shoulder. “Get the door, quickly, K.C. He’s heavy.”

  “Front or back?”

  “Front. He’ll freak if I’m sitting next to you.”

  “Okay.” I open the front door, and after a few minutes, we manage to get Chamberlain folded into my car. Scott climbs into the back while I get in the driver’s seat and we take off to the apartment. “Does he have a problem with drinking, Scott?”

  “What? No.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see the glow from his phone. “He gets excited, but it’s been ages since he lost control.”

  “He has in the past?”

  “Right after his mom died. He went downhill fast. It took forever for him to crawl out, but he did it.”

  We grow quiet, only Chamberlain’s loud breathing is heard. I can’t get over this unease that has taken hold of me with the arrival of the subject known as the mysterious Gwen.

  “Who is Gwen, Scott?”

  “Gwen? Oh!” Scott sits forward, poking his head between the seats. “She’s a really great friend of mine and C’s. You would have met her tonight, but she was helping her mom.”

  “Her mom?”

  “You’ve been to the diner with C, right? Met Rose?”

  “Yes.” My grip tightens on the steering wheel.

  “That’s Gwen’s mom. She was friends with Marissa, C’s mom. We grew up with Gwen. That’s it, no worries.” I nod a return to my silence.

  No worries?

  Then why is it eating away at me? For some reason, it feels like there is more to the story than that.

  XOXO

  WE MANAGED TO get Chamberlain up the stairs, into the apartment, and onto his bed without much strain. Scott held most of his weight while I opened and closed doors with only my overnight bag.

  I set it on the floor in Chamberlain’s room after Scott threw him on his bed. It is a pretty small room; about the size of my bathroom. I have way too much room for a single person. My bedroom is the size of their living room and kitchen.

  Chamberlain’s bed dominates the room. It is a simple king size, but the size of his room makes it look bigger. He has a single dresser and laundry basket next to it. Another door to the right of the room I learned was the bathroom, and on the other side of the bathroom was another door that led to Scott’s room.

  “Well, if you need me, just knock.” Scott pats my shoulders and leaves me with the sleeping beast. “Don’t worry, I sleep with clothes on,” he teases with a wolfish grin.

  I stare at Chamberlain’s slumbering form for a beat before I decide to change before I attempt to get him ready for bed. I grab my bag and head into the bathroom, instantly locking the far door that led to Scott’s bedroom. I don’t need him accidentally walking in on me.

  I change out of my jeans and t-shirt into a pair of pajama pants and a sports bra, throw my hair up in a messy bun, and remove my makeup and contacts. I dig out my toothbrush and glasses to finish my nightly routine.

  Once I’m satisfied with how clean my teeth feel, I grab my bag, unlock Scott’s door, and head back into Chamberlain’s room where he remains snoring softly. Deciding the best place to start is his boots, I kneel down and unlace them, removing them and his socks. He rolls his ankles and bends his toes, causing everything to make a popping sound.

  Throwing his socks in his laundry basket, I move up to unzip his coat and undo his belt. I stop for a moment and stare at my hands that now hold the button to his pants. This feels so new and so nerve-wracking at the same time.

  You can do this, K.C.

  I’m only undressing him for bed. It isn’t like we are about to do something. I’m taking care of him, not taking advantage of him.

  My face turns red hot as I roll my lips between my teeth and carefully undo his button and then his zipper. Chamberlain moans and stirs in his sleep but doesn’t wake up. Blowing out a breath, I move around to the foot of his bed and pull his pants down. I grab the waist of his pants and give them a good tug but only get them a tiny ways off his hips.

  Great.

  I pull again and this time, they come down off his hips and halfway down his thighs. But so do his boxer briefs.

  “Oh God!’ I screech as I fall back on my butt. He’s very … well endowed.
<
br />   Holy moly!

  My mind starts spinning with ideas of him and me naked. I know that girls say this all the time, especially in movies and books, but is that going to even fit when we get there? I feel my eyes bug out of my head as I take him in. I’ve never actually seen one before; the health books in school don’t count. I can’t even understand why some think they look beautiful. To me, he looks scary.

  My body starts to ache as I stay on the ground, looking up at him. Chamberlain is an exquisite sample of male perfection. His muscles are ripped and tight, his face is chiseled and sharp, his eyes can go from soft to predatory in an instant, his lips are pouty and soft, a stark contrast to the rest of him, and now that I’ve truly seen all of him physically, I want more. More of him, but his personality and kind ways call to me as well, and I can’t forget about that alpha side of him that leaves me yearning.

  Chamberlain grumbles, reaches down, and scratches himself there before he pulls his boxer briefs back up. That breaks my hypnosis.

  I get up and focus on getting him undressed. I easily pull his pants the rest of the way off and toss them into the basket. Then it gets harder. How am I going to lift him to get his coat and shirt off?

  There is no way I could lift him on my own without waking him, and I’m not totally sure what he would think of me undressing him in his drunken state.

  I need help.

  I walk to Scott’s door in the bathroom and knock. I hear shuffling and then cussing. He opens the door, jumping on one foot. “What’s up?” He cringes. He must have hit something or stepped on something. “I didn’t know you wore glasses.” He gives me his devil-may-care smile. “You look cute in them. I bet you could pull off the whole naughty schoolgirl look.”

  Shaking my head, I wave my hand for him to follow me. “I can’t get his coat and shirt off.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you could,” he jokes. I choose to ignore him and wait for him to come and lift Chamberlain for me. Once we have his coat and shirt off, Chamberlain stirs a little as we put him on one side of the bed and cover him up. “Night.”