by Alta Hensley
I knocked lightly on the office door, anxious to see Julep once more. The situation surrounding me was crazy. It was the most unexpected thing in the entire world, but there were feelings for Julep that were still managing to creep their way in no matter how hard I tried to deny or explain those feelings as something else. I suppose it was because she was giving me the lifeline I so desperately needed. Or maybe it was because she was so taboo and off limits. Julep was just another way I could fuck up this chance, which I really didn’t want to do. She was gorgeous as anything, probably the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid my eyes on. Elegance laced her raw edges. I really liked what I saw today. She was dressed completely different than the business attire I had seen at my house. Her curly hair was now pulled back in a ponytail. She wore black leggings with a white tight tank top. The toned muscles on her tan skin were only surpassed by the cleavage the tank top not only revealed, but enhanced. There was a tattoo on her bicep of doves flying across her flesh that made her look exotic, tough, and feminine all at once. The girl was ripped, clearly in shape, and there was a way she carried herself in the gym that showed she was no nonsense. Julep Foley was, without a doubt, a bad ass chick. I was intrigued—hell, nearly intoxicated—by this different side of her. But that didn’t mean that I had to jump into bed with her.
“Come in,” she called out in a sing-song tone of voice. I pushed the door open a crack to see her grinning face. “Oh, hey, Mateo. Come on in.”
From the casual way she said this, I could tell she’d heard nothing about the almost fight in the locker room, which was the way I wanted it to stay. “Danny told me to come on in and work out the contract with you.”
“Just sorting out the last of the paperwork right now.”
I watched her getting organized for a few moments, really drinking in every graceful move of hers. “Thank you,” I heard myself saying before I could really think about it. “Thank you for convincing me to try out. I really appreciate it.”
“I’m glad you did.” She smiled warmly at me. “I’m also glad that you’re here. We really do need you. You’ll be a great asset to the gym, and I think we can be a great asset to you as well.”
I signed the documents with a racing heart, unable to believe that I was actually doing it. I was changing my life forever here, without even really thinking about it, and in a way, that spontaneity felt great. I knew there was going to be a whole lot of hard work that I was about to face, but I was sure I was strong enough to be able to do it.
“So, how did you get into running this gym?” I asked her casually. This was generally a man’s world, as sexist sounding as that was, so I couldn’t help but wonder what drew her to it. I guess I wanted to know more about the woman who crashed into my life and turned absolutely everything on its head. “I know your father owned it, but why become so involved?”
“Oh, I’ve always loved the sport,” she said with another one of her killer smiles. “My dad, my brother, my mother, and I have been living and breathing boxing since I can remember. Boxing wasn’t just part of my dad’s life, but our entire family’s life as well. Before my mother died, she helped him run the business and made it what it is today.”
“Yeah?” I was a little blown away by that. I knew who Sham Foley was, but had never heard of his wife being a part of the boxing scene. “What was her name?”
“Alyssa. Alyssa Foley. She died when I was thirteen, leaving my father to raise two kids on his own plus run the gym. But before she died, she was a powerhouse of a woman and business person. I strive to be half the woman she was.”
“She and your father did a great job. I grew up wishing I would some day be part of a gym like Shamrocks. I never thought I would actually step through the doors of this place even at my height. It’s infamous.” I didn’t know what the hell was going on here, but I could feel an intense connection growing between us. This girl was not only beautiful, but we both had a love for a sport that I never shared with a female before. “The fact that I am here, signing on to be part of it, is pretty incredible.”
Our eyes met, and I held her gaze for a little too long all over again. I couldn’t seem to resist her, which was a nightmare. I had to stop it, and I needed to stop it right now. “I should…” I glanced at my watch, acting as if I didn’t realize the time. “I have to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early, okay?”
“I’m looking forward to it.” She shook the contract at me. “We’ll set your training schedule tomorrow. Expect it to be brutal.”
I smirked. “It better. My ass is out of shape.”
I heard her giggle as I quickly left, forcing myself to not look back no matter how badly I wanted to.
I stepped into the car, my heart racing all over again, and I called my father to tell him the good news.
“I got in!” I yelled as soon as he picked up, not even giving him the chance to say anything. “I went to the tryouts, and Shamrocks signed me! They think I have a chance of becoming a heavyweight champion for them.”
“Son,” Dad wheezed, “that’s incredible news!”
“I know. I can’t wait—”
“And you’ll get to be around that very pretty girl a lot more too,” he continued, reiterating the words that I spoke out by mistake during one of our many conversations on the topic before I left to try out. “I just hope that you manage to keep your head in the game.”
There was something in his voice, something that had me worried. Did he think I only did this to get closer to Julep? That wasn’t the case at all. Sure, she was gorgeous and she made my head spin, but this had nothing to do with just her. This was all about the future; I hadn’t even realized that I wanted to fight again. Once I was done with boxing, I turned my back on it, thinking that I would never go back. The only problem was, I didn’t realize how unhappy that was going to make me.
Now, I had the potential to be happy once more. I just had to hope I could juggle the rest of my life around it and not fuck things up again.
5
Julep
“A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.”
– Jack Dempsey
It’s just a welcome present, I thought to myself, clutching the shorts tightly between my fingers. I would have done the same for any new member to the gym. But I already knew that wasn’t true. Quite a few boxers had joined the gym since I’d been running it, and I hadn’t gone out of my way to do anything special for any of them.
That didn’t mean it had to mean something though. It was just a small token of how happy Shamrocks was to have The Matador. There was certainly no extra meaning there.
But would he see it that way? All of a sudden, panic coursed through me. Would Mateo see this gift as a sweet, ‘welcome to the gym’ gesture. Or would he think there was more meaning attached to it? Would he think I was coming on to him?
For a second, I held the satin shorts out in front of me, examining them, trying to see what he could misconstrue from the gift, before changing my mind all over again. It was only a piece of clothing, for crying out loud. He might just take the gift for what it was—a meaningless clothing item. I was definitely overthinking this.
With a newfound confidence, I walked down into the main room to try and catch Mateo at the end of his first workout as an official member of the gym to give the welcome gift to him. A small part of me also wanted to see if he was all right, and if he was being treated well by the other fighters.
I had walked by Danny giving Teo an ass chewing for being a dick to Mateo in the locker room. I normally tried to tone down Danny, but this time, I wanted the guys to know there would be consequences if they fucked with Mateo. I didn’t want him to go through a real life upheaval to get back into the sport he loved, just to find himself faced with all kinds of crazy bullshit from inside the gym. He would have to face it from the outside world, as it was. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot that I could do about that fact, however much I wanted to. But I didn’t want shit within the gym. Not only
would that affect everyone’s head game, it might push Mateo away before he’d really had the time to settle back in.
But as I entered the gym, I quickly realized I was too late. The training session was already over and most of the fighters had dispersed.
I walked toward the locker room, smiling and acknowledging the other guys as they filed out, freshly showered and dressed. Because I was pretty sure that I’d seen every other person, except for Mateo, I had no hesitation with simply walking in there to see him. If everyone else was dressed, then he must have been too. And to catch him alone was absolutely the best way for me to do this.
My heart raced with excitement as I imagined how his face might light up when he saw the shorts. They were just like the ones he once wore before. Same colors and design. The Matador embroidered on the waist.
“Mateo,” I called out tentatively, noticing my voice echoing around the room. “Mateo, are you still in here?”
When he didn’t answer me, I started to think that I might have missed him, and that maybe he’d actually gotten dressed quicker than everyone else did. So, with a heavy heart, I turned to walk away. That was the moment I heard a clattering from across the other side of the locker room, much nearer the showers, and my heart skipped a beat all over again.
“Mateo,” I called out again, this time with much more confidence. “I have something for you. I wanted to give it to you now before—”
Holy fuck!
My voice cut off, and I found myself standing dead in the middle of the room like a statue when I finally saw him. It was as if my limbs had completely iced over, freezing me in position, while all of me heated up painfully. My brain screamed at me to run, to get the hell out of there, but my body simply wasn’t paying any attention.
Mateo was basically naked…
I needed to get the hell out of there!
“I… I…” I finally managed to splutter out. “I’m so sorry, I’ll just…”
That body! His bare ass was dangerously sculpted. And when he turned to face me, with abs dripping wet from the shower like nothing I’d ever seen before – and I’d seen some ripped fighter bodies in my time—he was like a freaking Greek god. That abdominal V of his had droplets running down the lines all the way to the small towel that barely covered his dick that I desperately wanted to see. Even with a flimsy cloth covering his manhood, his incredible body had the power to turn me into jelly.
I suddenly realized that I was staring at him like an idiot, openmouthed and everything. If he didn’t think I had the hots for him before, he sure as hell did now. I couldn’t stop staring at that towel hoping he would drop it to the ground.
“I have something for you,” I forced myself to gasp out. “But I’ll wait for you outside.”
It wasn’t until I had raced from the locker room, and I was panting heavily with my eyes closed, leaning against the ice cold wall behind me, that I realized he didn’t even try to hide himself. He simply stood there, smirking—flirting—at me, almost as if he wanted me to keep on looking.
Could that mean… Did he want me to stay?
An involuntary moan escaped past my lips at the mere thought of being with him, which made me squeeze my thighs tightly together. Why did he have to be so damn sexy? I never thought I’d be the sort of person who was attracted to a boxer, but I could barely resist. The fact that I already knew I couldn’t go anywhere near him might have added to the temptation, but that knowledge wasn’t really helping me right now. I’d just never had a sizzling sexual chemistry that was quite as intense as this one. That combined with the bond I really felt like we were forming, as well as an emotional connection, was driving me to new levels of recklessness.
Get your head together. This cannot happen. It’s really as simple as that.
“Hey,” his smooth voice rang out from behind me, making me jump like an unhinged loon. “You wanted to talk to me about something?”
“Oh, yeah… I…” Shit, I was getting flustered. What the hell was the matter with me? I already felt like I had to be a lot stronger than everyone else because I was a woman trying to survive in such a testosterone-filled world. I didn’t want to cause that to fall apart over one silly, lust-filled mistake. “I had these made for you,” I said as I handed him the folded material.
He unfolded the shorts, grinning at me the entire time. I could see there was a little secret behind his smile, and it caused my heart to beat faster and louder in my chest. I had a feeling it might be due to me seeing him almost nude, and it was leaving me unable to cope.
“Oh, no way!” he nearly whispered. “My shorts. Just like before.” He ran his fingertips along the embroidered name. “The Matador.” He looked up at me with softness in his eyes. “Thank you so much.”
“I wanted to welcome you—”
“Julep, this is”—he looked down at the shorts and then back up at me—“I’ve never had someone be so thoughtful. You really shouldn’t have. I don’t deserve—”
“Stop,” I interrupted. “We brought you into this gym to beat up other people. Not to beat up yourself.”
I watched as he extended his arms out to me, to pull me in for a grateful hug, and I could feel myself going into shock. I just didn’t know how I could be wrapped up in those strong arms, pressed up against those amazing abs, knowing what his body was truly like beneath his clothing. I was already filled with a buzzing lust. I couldn’t make it worse.
But it was too late to back out now. He was coming at me.
The moment seemed to fall into slow motion. He touched me, filling me with a bolt of electricity. I looked toward him for a second, trying to see if he was feeling the same, and that was the moment I noticed his lips were pursed and that he was coming in to kiss me.
I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to. I was pretty sure that I had just enough time to turn my head away from him, to allow that kiss to fall on my cheek, but for some reason I didn’t. I stayed in that position until our lips crashed together. My lips pressed against his as he demanded I open them just enough to push his tongue inside to dance with mine. Passion conquered any hint of resistance. I was no match to this heavyweight contender. He championed over me as his kiss dominated.
Pulling away just enough to whisper, he said, “I shouldn’t.”
“I shouldn’t. We shouldn’t,” I said in agreement, but wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into the kiss more. Passion multiplied and I lost full control. The powerful lust took over, and all rational thought vanished as we kissed like I had never kissed before.
I didn’t know if anyone was still in the gym. I didn’t know if Danny would walk in at any moment. I didn’t care. I couldn’t focus on reality when I had Mateo’s tongue inside my mouth. Reason screamed inside my head, but I fought against it as Mateo pulled me hard against his chest. If it weren’t for the way he held me close, I would have surely crumpled to the ground. My breath became his, and my heart beat with the same rhythm. We were slowly merging as one with this all-encompassing kiss.
“Mateo,” I finally said when we both came up for air.
“I know. I know,” he said as he pulled away completely and stormed out of the gym without saying another word.
What did he know? I sure as hell didn’t know. I was lost. Drowning in the waves and waves of emotion the kiss caused. What did he know?
“Oh my God, you guys kissed?” Lola squealed into the phone. “How was it?”
Mind blowing.
Heart stopping.
Fireworks inducing.
“I don’t know.” I decided to act blasé, to not allow my feelings to show too much for the moment. After all, this was more of a fact-finding conversation now. I knew I shouldn’t have kissed Mateo. I was pretty damn sure that the moment shouldn’t have lasted as long as it did, and his arms certainly shouldn’t have snaked around my waist as mine clung around his neck.
But now that all those things had happened, I felt like I had to know more about this man. I knew a little from my rese
arch, and I knew some from our conversations, but Lola actually sat down with him and had interviewed him. If anyone could tell me a little more about what sort of man he was, it was her.
“It was just an impulsive act that shouldn’t have occurred. I don’t know what I think about him. What I think about what happened. It just was… I don’t know.” I knew I was babbling and not making much sense, but I’d had the sense kissed right out of me.
“Well, I mean, do you actually like him?” Lola asked me in a hushed tone of voice, as if she thought my brother might overhear us.
“I’m not sure,” I replied cautiously. “I wish this was a simple answer. Putting the gym and professionalism aside, I don’t know too much about this man. What do you think?”
“That’s a tough question,” she said. “I mean, he really does seem like a great guy, and he definitely has a massive heart from the little I saw. I got a good vibe from him.”
That much was true, considering all that he was doing for his father. It took a special type of person to be a caregiver for anyone.
Lola continued, “But there’s a risk with him.” There was that word again, the word that seemed to sum up Mateo Vega entirely. Risk. “There’s the addictive side to his personality, the gambling you can’t guarantee is gone, and the debts.”
Hmmm… I didn’t like the idea of debts. That was something my dad had always told me. Never get involved with a man who’s terrible with money because he’ll never be reliable. My father’s words were something I had always taken to heart.
“Did he tell you the details about everything that had happened?” I asked, hoping to get a clearer story.