As we walk into the building, Nikki is marching in our direction. “What the fuck took you both so long? I’m dying here.” She is being a tad bit dramatic with her hand gestures.
“If you needed coffee so badly, you should have walked your ass over and gotten one. You could be more grateful,” Nick tells his sister. She rolls her eyes as she takes two of the coffees out of the container I’m holding. Nick takes one for himself and I take mine. As Nikki walks over to hand one of the cups to Jase, I discard the cardboard container in a trashcan by the door.
Nick has made his way over to them and I follow. Nikki turns, facing me as I walk up.
“So are you ready to show me what you can do?” She is as enthusiastic as she was last night when she found out I box.
“I guess,” I say as I shrug my shoulders.
“Nikki, don’t beat up my girl.” Nick grabs me with his left arm, pulling my back to his front.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I say as I look up at him. He takes a sip of his coffee as he stares down at me.
“It has nothing to do with my confidence in you. I just know my sister, and she is pretty fucking good. Plus, she fights dirty.” He looks at his sister with pride.
Dirty, huh! I’ll have to remember that.
We finish up our coffees, and the guys go over to weight benches in the corner. I walk over to the side of the ring where Nikki has begun a stretching routine. I follow suit and start stretching all my muscles. After about five minutes, we both get off the floor and gear up.
I don’t really like boxing with someone I haven’t had a chance to observe boxing with someone else. It gives me an idea of what to expect and a chance to see how good they are. In Nikki’s case, I already know she is good. I just hope I can hold my own.
I climb into the ring. Nikki is already in and jumping around to loosen up a little more.
“Want me to referee?” I hear Nick say from the corner of my eye. I look over in his direction. He and Jase are standing on the ground outside of the ring with their arms folded over their chests. They are both already sweaty from the weight lifting.
“No, thanks. This really isn’t going to be a match. I only want to see what the girl can do,” Nikki says while facing me.
“Don’t the two of you have something better to do than watch?” I say. I really don’t like people to watch me. This is a workout for me, and well, so I can make sure I can defend myself if, and when, needed.
“I told you I had to see this,” Nick says and I roll my eyes. Nikki laughs. Fucking men. They hear, “girl fight” and they get turned on. I just don’t get it.
I take an upright stance and Nikki does the same. My feet are parallel and my right heel is lifted off the ground. Nikki is standing opposite of me and I can really compare myself to her now. She isn’t that much bigger than I am. Strength wise she is probably a lot stronger, but size wise she isn’t. We can probably wear the same size clothes. She’s about two inches taller than I am though.
“I can’t throw the first punch. Nick would kill me,” she says. I place my heel on the ground and gloved hands on my hips.
“If you are going to treat me like a pussy, we can stop now.” This is the first time she has pissed me off. She looks at Nick and pulls her eyes back on me, blowing out a long sigh through her mouth.
“Fine, but you better not cry if I hurt you.” She takes her stance and I resume mine.
“Commence the girl fight,” Jase says from the sideline. I would have rolled my eyes, but Nikki doesn't really give me a chance because she takes a jab at my face after the word “commence” comes out of his mouth.
I back up a few feet and lightly shake it off. They want to see what I've got so I’ll gladly show them. She is coming at me with another jab. I duck then come at her with a cross punch from my right fist. I connect with her jaw and follow up with a jab with my left fist. We continue on for another thirty or so seconds. She hasn’t hit me since the first punch, but I’ve gotten her twice more.
Just as I think this, she connects her right fist to my jaw. Yeah it hurts, and I’m not that used to getting hit much since the first few years I started boxing eight years ago. I’ve gotten a lot better since then.
She hits me once more with a jab, so I jump back. I can tell she is about to come at me with a hook and I give her a slip. I’m quick to come at her with an upper cut followed by a cross. She doesn’t even see the second hit coming as she falls to the mat.
“Holy shit,” I hear Jase to my right side. Nikki is only out maybe two seconds, but I think I've stunned them all. Especially Nick. He’s staring at me with hooded, lustful eyes.
Nikki stands back up to her feet and rubs her jaw with her gloved hand. I can’t tell if she is pissed at me. She is staring at me like Nick often does when he’s mad, so I’m betting on the pissed-off-ness! She takes a deep breath.
“I underestimated you and I don’t do that often. For the record, I like you a whole lot better than I did before. But…know, I also want to kick the shit out of you and call you a bitch for good measure.”
I laugh and she starts to undo her gloves. She tosses them to the mat and exits the ring. I do the same and exit behind her.
“Dude, your girl just got a whole lot hotter,” Jase says as he jabs Nick in the shoulder. Nikki just rolls her eyes.
“Fuck off, Jason,” Nick says as he walks up to me and grabs me by my wrist, pulling me quickly in the direction of the locker rooms.
Once we enter the men’s locker room, Nick looks around to make sure no one else is in there. Once all is clear, he locks the door.
“What are you doing?” I ask him as I try to pull my wrist from his grip. I don’t succeed and he pushes me up against the cold concrete wall.
“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever fucking seen. Now, I’m going to fuck you, baby,” he tells me and then crashes his lips down hard on my mine. He pins my arms above my head.
“You can’t be serious. I’m sweaty and gross,” I tell him when he releases my lips, and starts kissing, sucking, and nipping his way down my neck.
“You’re sweaty and you’re so fucking sexy right now. I’m dead fucking serious. Now kick your shoes off,” he orders as he is yanking my gym pants down my legs. I do as he asks and use one foot to kick off a shoe, and then I repeat with the other. He pushes my pants and panties all the way down and I use my feet to get them off completely.
“Baby, this is going to be fast and hard.” He shucks his gym shorts and picks me up by my thighs. My back is against the wall again and my legs are wrapped around his waist; he enters me swiftly.
He doesn’t give me a chance to adjust to his size when he pulls back and slams back into me. His lips find my ear lobe and he bites down hard. I give a yell out of pain and pleasure. He isn’t slowing his pace. If anything, he continues to get faster every time he pushes forward. I receive everything, wanting more.
“You like it when I’m a little rough with you, don’t you?” he whispers in my ear. His voice is raspy.
“Yes,” I pant. I really, really do. Please don’t stop, ever. I grip his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. I run my hands up until they are in his slick hair. I pull on it, trying to urge him on.
“Oh God, Nick. Fuck me harder, please,” I beg him and he immediately picks up the speed. I honestly don’t know how he’s holding me and moving so fast at the same time. My heart rate picks up and I feel myself tighten at the core. I’m about to explode and then I do, all over his cock. As my orgasm washes over me, Nick releases himself inside of me.
He slows down to a stop and holds me against the wall. He kisses me softly on the lips before slipping out of me. Without a word, he smiles and turns for the showers.
I’m standing against the wall still panting and breathless. I don’t even care that I have cum slipping down my legs right now. I’m having a Joey Lawrence “wow” moment.
I push myself off the wall and go to the showers myself. I don’t bother with finding the wo
men’s locker room. The door is still locked, and well, I imagine Jase and Nikki already have an idea of what we just did. So frankly, I don’t care what this looks like after what Nick just did to me.
I have another Joey “wow” moment when I get in the shower next to Nick. I’m sure he knows it’s me when I turn on the water and close the door behind me. I shower quickly and then exit. Nick is standing at the door with an extra towel in his hand. I take it and wrap it around my body.
“I guess you aren’t going to work out anymore today then?” I ask as I take in his already fully dressed self.
“I think I just got a pretty damn good workout ten minutes ago.” He smiles and raises his eyebrows. God knows I did. I smile back and walk over to my gym bag that has magically appeared in the men’s locker room. I don’t question. I’m still on a sex high.
ELEVEN
“Please never let me drink that much ever again,” Nikki begs from the back seat of Nick’s car where she is laying across the seat, covering her eyes with her arm. She got a little drunk last night…well, a lot drunk last night. After Nick took me to the amateur fight night to watch one of Jase’s fights last night, the four of us went to Club Blue where Nikki got sloshed. Jase won the fight; so apparently she wanted to celebrate for her man. I don’t think she is in much of a celebratory mood now.
We are on the way to Nick and Nikki’s parents’ house in Pasadena for a Memorial Day dinner. Perhaps I’m a little nervous, but really, I just want to get this part of dating out of the way. Maybe that is why I agreed to come with them as quickly as I did last night. How bad could meeting the parents go?
Nick made his mom sound like an angel, but the way he and Nikki described their dad, you would think the man was the devil himself. My dad died when I was very young, so I never really had a father figure in my life. I’ve never been able to relate to other friends and their relationships with their dads. I have a few memories of the man, and luckily, all are good, but when it comes to the fatherly authority, I’m clueless. I was never grounded growing up like all my friends were for breaking curfew or bad grades. I was never the bad kid, but my mom didn’t have a clue what was going on in my life. I could come and go as I pleased, as long as I stayed out of trouble. Most kids would dream of a life like that, but really, I longed for attention from my mother.
“Why you got wasted last night when you knew we were coming here today is beyond me. You know Dad’s going to say something about it and that’s going to piss you off,” Nick tells his sister as we pull into a driveway of a massive two-story house. If this is the house they grew up in, I understand why Nick doesn’t like big houses. This place is huge and could easily be in an architecture magazine. I hate it immediately.
Nick turns off the ignition and grabs my forearm as I’m reaching to open the door. “If you feel uncomfortable in the least bit, just say the word and we will leave.”
He has an apologetic look on his face. Surely, his dad isn’t that bad. “He’s serious, Shannon. In fact, the sooner we leave, the better for all of us. These gatherings never end happy,” Nikki chimes in as she is righting herself up from the backseat.
“Okay, but I’m sure it’s not going to be that bad. Surely, I can get through a few hours in your parents’ company.” I say as I open the door.
“It’s not our parents that are the problem; it’s our dad,” she adds as I’m pushing the seat forward so she can get out. The three of us head for the front door. Nikki is leading the way and I’m holding Nick’s hand as we all make it up the steps to the house. Nikki doesn’t bother knocking and walks right in.
The first thing I notice off to the side of the foyer is a large formal dining room with the largest table I’ve ever seen. Yes, I definitely dislike this house, but it hits me that it’s not the house. Something just isn’t sitting well with me. You know that feeling you get when you are in the wrong place and all your senses are screaming at you to leave…to get the fuck out? That’s the feeling I have at this very moment. The hairs on the nape of my neck and arms lift, prickling over my skin.
I push the feeling out of my mind as we make our way through the foyer and enter the kitchen. I’m sure it’s just my nervousness at meeting his parents for the first time.
“I thought I heard you guys come in the door,” a petite, older woman with dark hair says. She has a wide smile on her face as she embraces Nikki in a hug. She must be their mom. She has the same stunning blue eyes Nick and Nikki have. Nick releases my hand to give his mother a kiss on the cheek.
“Food smells great, Mom,” Nick tells her as he reaches for me. “This is my girlfriend, Shannon,” he says as I’m pulled in front of his mother. She smiles again and pulls me into a hug.
I feel awkward. Isn’t it customary to shake hands in these circumstances? I know she is only being friendly, so I return the embrace and force a smile when she releases me. I don’t care for the touchy-feely types.
“I’ve heard so much about you over the last two weeks. It’s great to finally meet you. Nicholas has never brought a girl home before,” she says eyeing her son in a loving, motherly way. “I’m Elaina Lewis, but please call me Elaina. I hate all the formal stuff.”
“Lewis?” I question looking at Nick. He didn’t say he had a stepdad. The way he spoke about the man, it gave the impression his parents were married to each other.
Nick shrugs his shoulder. “I’ll explain later, but I decided to go by my mother’s maiden name a long time ago. I had it legally changed when I turned twenty-one.”
“And you?” I ask turning to Nikki. She shrugs her shoulders in the same way as her brother, as if it’s no big deal.
“I’ve always done everything Nick does since I can remember, so when Nick did it, there was no questioning that I would do the same.” She walks to the refrigerator and takes out a bottle of water. Do they hate their dad that much that they don’t want to share the same name? Surely, the man can’t be that bad. Right?
Nick tightens his hold on my hand, causing me to look up at him only to find his face is set in an expression of anger. His nostrils begin to flare. He’s looking behind me, and as I turn to see what’s caused his change in mood, I hear a shrill voice. A voice I’m all too familiar with, a voice that I have never been able to forget. This can’t be happening. Please God, tell me this is a nightmare and I’m going to wake up any minute now.
“It’s about time−” He stops mid-sentence when his eyes met mine. He wasn’t expecting me, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to ever see this monster again. “Shannon.” It’s not a question, but a statement. He knows exactly who I am and what he did to me.
My heart starts to race at a rapid pace. The thumping echoes in my ears as each beat bounces off my chest bone. I take a step back on reflex, only to back into Nick’s hard chest. My body freezes. I’m rooted to the ground when it hits me. Lewis, his mother’s last name is Lewis. She is married to James Lewis, Judge James Lewis. Oh God, no. No…no…no…no…no. He’s Nick’s father. This isn’t a nightmare. This isn’t some sick joke someone is playing on me. This is real. Beads of sweat start to form across my forehead and on the back of my neck.
“You know my father?” Nick questions, jerking his stare from his dad down to me. His eyebrows are knitted inward. He’s somewhat shocked. I think his mother and sister are too. How do I fucking explain this? I think I’m going to be sick. A wave of nausea washes over me. I swallow, trying to keep the vomit I feel rising up in my throat at bay.
“I…” There are no more words I can get out. They are lost in my throat. I don’t know what to tell him. I don’t know what to do. I can’t take my eyes off the evil monster that stands before me. I want to run. I have to bite down on my bottom lip in order stop the tremble I feel forming on my lips.
The bastard smiles and then breaks eye contact with me to answer Nick’s question. He knows what I could say even though I won’t, but he isn’t going chance it.
“Shannon used to work for me, back when I was an attorne
y. If you would have ever come by my office, you would have known that.” He turns his eyes back to me. They are sinister and cold grey eyes. “What’s it been now…ten years?”
“Y−yes,” I finally choke out. It comes out as almost a whisper. Get control of yourself. Do not let the sick fuck see your fear. Don’t give him that satisfaction again. I take a silent deep breath and exhale slowly, calming my bubbling anxiety.
“Small world, I guess,” Nick says as he tightens his hold on my waist. His tone is clipped, and he’s not happy to learn this fact. If he only knew the rest; something I’ve never told anyone. I don’t know if I can tell him either.
Nick’s mother is looking between her husband and me. She has a strange look on her face, as if she is trying to figure out the pieces of the puzzle. I doubt anyone would figure out what that man is capable of. Everyone I knew that worked for him adored him. I remember people used to say what a wonderful man he was and how caring he was for other people who have been misjudged.
“Why don’t we all gather in the dining room for dinner?” his mother suggests while leading Nikki in that direction. Judge Lewis gives me a sinister look, and turns, following his wife and daughter. Nick turns me to face him. I try for a weak smile.
“Are you okay? As soon as my father walked in the room, your face paled and you looked like you wanted to pass out.” He’s holding both of my wrists and rubbing his thumbs over the surface of my skin. Somehow, it has a calming effect on me and I relax a little. Well, as much as I possibly can in a situation like this.
“Yes. I was a little shocked at first. I wasn’t expecting my former boss to be your dad.” He’s searching my eyes. It looks like he is trying to decipher if I’m telling him the truth. It’s partly true. I was shocked.
“Are you sure? We can leave if you’re uncomfortable.” Just tell him you want to leave. He’s giving you an out. You should take it and run like hell.
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