Royally Screwed: A British Bad Boy Romance

by Jessica Ashe

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I replied, as Riker and Nora came back with the drinks.

  “So,” Nora said, “we were talking at the bar.”

  “From here it looked like you were just groping each other,” Alison remarked.

  “I can multitask,” Nora replied. “Anyway, you both have a problem at the moment, and I think I have a solution.”

  “We have a solution,” Riker added.

  “Whatever. Elliot, you need a doctor to accompany you to fights, and it just so happens that we know of a doctor in need of work at the moment.”

  Nora glanced at Alison who was furiously shaking her head.

  I had no idea how Alison had lost her job, and I didn’t much care. This had just gotten interesting.

  Chapter Eight

  Alison

  “No way,” I said adamantly. I snatched the gin and tonic from Nora and took a long sip. It burned, but I needed that. Either the drink was strong or I just wasn’t used to the taste of alcohol. Probably both.

  I couldn’t do it. I needed the job, and in a few months I’d probably need the money. You didn’t get to be a doctor without incurring a few hundred thousand dollars in student loans. Loans that had to be paid regardless of whether or not you were going through a bad patch.

  It didn’t matter; I couldn’t take a job working for a fighter. I’d become a doctor to help those who needed it. Sure, Elliot would no doubt need medical assistance, but only because he chose to put himself in those situations.

  When he’d come into the hospital, I’d treated him like any other patient—albeit an exceptionally good looking one. However, going to work for him full-time was another matter entirely.

  What would that even entail? Would I have to stand next to the cage wearing one of those skimpy ring girl outfits? I’d probably have to watch him hooking up with all the sluts and groupies that threw themselves at him after matches.

  Nora had mentioned seeing Riker surrounded by ring girls just before his final fight. Apparently they had their hands all over him, and looked ready to go right there and then.

  I’d already had my hands over Elliot’s body, but that was different. I was doing that as part of a medical check up. It wasn’t sexual or intimate in any way. Absolutely not.

  Now Elliot sat just across from me in a tight t-shirt which revealed enough of his muscles to have the women in the bar whipped up into a frenzy. Most of them were looking over, trying to work out if we were a couple or on a date. Women were disappearing to the bathroom and coming back with their skirts hitched up and their tops pulled down. I admired their confidence. I didn’t show that much skin at the beach.

  “No way,” I repeated.

  “I told you she wouldn’t go for it,” Nora said to Riker. “She’s too stubborn.”

  “I’m not being stubborn,” I insisted. “I’m being realistic. I’m a doctor. I want to heal people.”

  “Elliot’s going to need a lot of healing,” Riker said. “Between you and me, he’s not a great fighter.”

  “I was good enough to kick your arse,” Elliot replied.

  “You put them up to this didn’t you?” I asked Elliot.

  I turned to him, expecting to see that smug and amused grin on his face. Instead he looked as confused by all this as I was.

  “Well you sure do think highly of yourself,” he replied.

  “You offered me the job during your medical exam. What am I supposed to think?”

  Elliot shrugged. “Fate works in mysterious ways. Anyway, perhaps I don’t want you as my doctor anymore.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked in shock.

  Had I really fallen that far? In the space of a week, I’d gone from being a doctor with a stable job, to not even being able to get jobs I was overqualified for and didn’t want.

  “Well, you sound like you enjoy being a doctor.”

  “It’s my life,” I replied.

  “Then you wouldn’t have quit. Which means you were sacked. Which in turn means you probably committed malpractice. I’m not sure I want an inferior doctor to be in charge of this.”

  He waved a hand over his body as if it were a priceless antique destined to be on display in the Smithsonian.

  From a medical point of view, he did have a remarkable body. I couldn’t comment on his body from a personal perspective; I didn’t allow myself to think about patients in that way.

  Whatever the qualities of his body, he was still a complete and utter bastard.

  “You think I’m an inferior doctor?” I asked incredulously. Nora and Riker just looked on, enjoying the show.

  “My last doctor never got fired for malpractice,” he said with a shrug of the shoulders.

  “I didn’t get fired. I quit. There was… a misunderstanding.”

  A misunderstanding that owed a lot to a man like you. I couldn’t blame Elliot for what had happened, but I could damn sure blame the system he was a part of. A system that treated women like objects to be fucked on a whim.

  “Maybe it’s for the best,” Elliot said. “I wouldn’t want you to be in over your head.”

  “Oh please, I think I can patch up a few cuts and bruises.”

  “It gets worse than just cuts and bruises. Just ask Riker.”

  “And perhaps you should ask Riker whether I’m capable of dealing with serious injuries. I did treat his subdural hematoma after all. Remind me, how did he get that again?”

  Elliot and I both turned to look at Riker, who sat there nursing his drink with a big grin on his face.

  “Why are you looking at me?” Riker asked.

  “Tell her she’s not up to being my doctor,” Elliot said.

  I growled. “Please tell him, I’m more than capable of looking after both of his brain cells.”

  Riker sat back in his chair and stroked the stubble coating his face. He looked at Elliot and then at me, reveling in the position of power he now found himself.

  “Stop milking it, Riker,” Nora said, slapping him gently on the arm.

  “It’s not often I have both Elliot and Alison waiting eagerly for my words of wisdom. Okay, fine, Elliot, stop being an idiot. Alison is an excellent doctor and she’s more than capable of handling you by the looks of it. That’s not something you can say about every doctor. She’s also got experience with physiotherapy, so she’s just what you need.”

  “Okay, fine,” Elliot said. “She can be my doctor.”

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  “Glad you two have got that sorted,” Riker said, as he stood up and offered Nora his hand. “I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun working together.”

  “Wait,” I pleaded. “I never said—”

  “Nora and I are going to dance. You two probably want to talk over the details of this little arrangement.”

  “Good to have you on the team,” Elliot said as I looked back at him open-mouthed.

  “But I didn’t agree—”

  “You can start tomorrow.”

  Was this really happening? I did need the money, but there was no way in hell I could do this as a long-term thing. Would I ever be able to get a job at another hospital again? Having this on my résumé might be yet another black mark against me.

  “I can’t be your personal doctor,” I insisted.

  “Yes, you can. Riker said you’re good enough, and I trust him.”

  “I know I’m good enough,” I snarled. “I meant, I can’t take the job because I don’t want to be on the medical team for some fighter.”

  “Why not? Look, I know you don’t like what I do, but won’t it be satisfying to treat the same patient on a regular basis? I bet at the moment you see hundreds of patients a month. How many of them do you really get to know?”

  I thought for a second, but then shook my head. “Still won’t work. I don’t know who your last doctor was, but I’m guessing he was a lot older than me.”

  Elliot nodded. “In his late fifties.”

  “Thought so. He didn’t have any student loans to repay. I do.
A lot.”

  “You’ll be well compensated. I use the money from sponsorships to pay you and my manager-slash-coach-slash-assistant.”

  “I’m certainly not going to be one of your assistants,” I snapped back.

  “Sounds to me like you’re going to take the job.”

  Oh God, oh God, oh God. Was I really going to do this?

  It might be a good idea to keep working until I could get a better job. At least this way I would be keeping my skills fresh, and some doctors in the world of sports earned a small fortune. Money wasn’t everything, but until those student loans had been repaid, it would have to be my main focus.

  “I’m not going to be some glorified nurse who gives you sponge baths after each fight,” I explained.

  “Oh no, of course not. You really don’t think a lot of me, do you? I’m hardly likely to pay a doctor to give me a bloody sponge bath.”

  “No, well good, I’m glad that’s clear.”

  “You can do the sponge baths when you’re off the clock,” he added with a wink.

  I’m going to regret this, I thought. I’m going to regret this decision for the rest of my life.

  I knew this was a ‘sliding doors’ moment. The decision I made now would change the rest of my life. Knowing that was only half the battle. I just wish I knew which decision was the right one.

  “Can you start tomorrow?” Elliot asked.

  I nodded. Decision made.

  Elliot handed me a business card for a sports agent.

  “Meet me at his office at ten in the morning,” he said, before extending his hand out towards me. “Welcome to the team.”

  I shook his hand, or more accurately, he shook mine. My tiny fist was lost in his large, strong palm.

  I caught a glimpse of women glaring at me as they watched us shaking hands. It might have been a formal gesture, but they obviously saw it as a threat to any chance they had with Elliot tonight.

  I suppose it wasn’t all bad. My job now consisted of examining the finest body I’d ever set eyes on. Maybe even better than Riker’s.

  Life could be worse.

  “Now that’s sorted,” Elliot said. “How about we go dance?”

  Or maybe not. I was a truly terrible dancer.

  Chapter Nine

  Elliot

  You owe me one.

  Riker’s message was an understatement. I already owed Riker quite a bit, given that I’d ended his career. Now he’d helped fix me up with Alison. This debt was harder to repay than a doctor’s student loans.

  “You’ve sorted a new doctor?” Percy asked, as he ushered me into his office.

  I nodded. “She’ll be along any minute.”

  “Good, I’m relieved. You know what the UFC is like about that kind of thing. They’re happy for you to kick the shit out of each other on camera, but they wouldn’t want any nasty stories about injuries getting out to the media.”

  “A decent doctor comes in use,” I admitted.

  “Why is she coming to this meeting? You never brought the old one along.”

  “I want her to get involved. Plus, I’d like to show her that there’s more to this business than just getting in a cage once every few weeks and fighting. She’s not exactly enthusiastic about working in the system.”

  “Sounds great,” Percy muttered. “Employees that don’t actually want to work for you are always the best ones.”

  “Just wait till you see her,” I remarked. “Then you’ll understand.”

  I turned as I heard a timid knock on Percy’s door. Speak of the devil.

  This was only the third time I’d seen Alison, but she’d looked more stunning each time. I couldn’t wait till the tenth meeting.

  She’d dressed much like she had at the hospital, except without the white coat. The sensible skirt went down to her knees, and the slit at the side didn’t reveal anywhere near enough for my liking.

  The blouse, however, gave me plenty to work with. Without a coat obstructing the view, I could see every bit of her curves, and even caught a glimpse of the soft skin underneath through a gap in the buttons.

  “Come in,” Percy said, giving her a friendly wave. “I see what you mean,” he added in a whisper.

  I introduced Percy and Alison, then we got down to business.

  “How soon can I get a fight against Tyler Young?” I asked.

  “I have good news on that front,” Percy replied. “I told you that usually you have to be in the system for years before getting a shot at the belt.”

  “And I told you, I didn’t want to wait years.”

  “Well you don’t have to. I’ve had a word with one of my contacts at the UFC. He’s agreed to accelerate the schedule for you.”

  “He has?”

  Percy nodded. “They like you. You’re cocky, arrogant, and a complete show off.”

  “They know you well,” Alison quipped.

  Percy smiled. “Yes, they’ve sussed him out. They want you to fight Tyler Young as much as you want to fight him. They’re going to bill the fight as a big US vs UK thing, to really milk it.”

  “I’m not dressing as a fucking redcoat,” I remarked.

  Like most Brits, I didn’t give two shits about the US Revolutionary War, or War of Independence, or whatever they were calling it that week. I just wanted to fight Tyler.

  “Don’t worry; I think they plan to go the royal angle. You know, pretend you’re a prince who’s crossed the ocean in search of his princess. That kind of thing.”

  “He’s no Prince Charming,” Alison said.

  Apparently she only spoke when she wanted to insult me. Weirdly, I liked it.

  “Let’s hope we can keep that secret until the fight’s organized,” Percy replied.

  “Who is this Tyler Young guy, anyway?” Alison asked.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said she wasn’t part of the industry,” Percy said to me.

  “Nope. She hates it. She’s only here because she wants to spend time up close and personal with my body.”

  “I’m studying it for medical science,” Alison replied.

  “You think my body’s a medical marvel?”

  “Yes. Usually people’s bodies stop growing at the age of about sixteen, but your head keeps getting bigger with each passing day.”

  “I like her,” Percy said, smiling. “Anyway, Tyler Young is the UFC champion, and has been for quite a while. He’s undefeated, and everyone wants a shot at him.”

  “But you think Elliot can beat him?” Alison asked Percy as if I weren’t sat right next to her.

  “Elliot thinks Elliot can beat him,” Percy replied. “And that’s what matters.”

  “I can beat him, and I will beat him,” I insisted.

  “Do you have a grudge against the guy?” Alison asked. “You seem quite determined.”

  “I’m a determined kind of guy. Tyler Young stands between me and being the champion. I really, really want to be the champion.”

  “I’m glad you’re sufficiently motivated,” Alison said dryly.

  “Sorry, but it’s not a movie. I don’t have a huge backstory with the guy. He didn’t kill my mum or anything. He is a complete wanker though, if that helps. Trust me, you won’t mind seeing this guy take a few punches.”

  “Trust me, I will,” Alison replied. “I don’t like seeing anyone get hurt.”

  “You’re going to love this job then,” Percy joked. “He’s right, though. Young is scum of the earth. Everyone hates him. I know of at least six ring girls who’ve filed rape allegations against him.”

  Alison looked disgusted. I’d have preferred Percy keep his mouth shut about that. Alison pictured fighters as all being the same. I didn’t want to be tarnished by Young’s actions.

  “Why isn’t he in jail?” Alison asked.

  “The UFC pays lawyers to keep the girls quiet,” I admitted. “He’s their star man. If his image gets tarnished then so does the image of the sport.”

  “Which means it’s a good thing if I b
ecome champion,” I explained. “I may have a touch of arrogance—”

  “A touch?” Alison asked incredulously.

  “A touch of arrogance,” I continued, “but at least I don’t do… that.” I turned back to Percy, eager to change the subject. “So, when’s the fight?” I asked.

  “Three months,” Percy replied. “You need to fight Jerome Milner first. He’s going to be a tough opponent, but frankly, if you can’t beat him then you’ll get destroyed by Young anyway. That fight is coming up in a few weeks.”

  “I can handle Milner,” I said confidently. Percy was right. That wouldn’t be an easy fight, but he would serve as a good warm up for Tyler Young.

  “I’m sure you can,” Percy said. “But you’ll need to train hard. Reckon you can keep him in shape?” he asked Alison.

  “I’m not a sports physio,” she replied. “But I’ll do my best to keep an eye on his diet.”

  “Is that your way of asking me out to dinner?”

  “No, it’s most certainly—”

  “I mean, we shouldn’t mix business with pleasure, but I suppose I could be convinced. Is it okay with you, Percy?”

  “Don’t bring me into this,” he replied. “You two do what you gotta do.”

  “Come on then, Alison,” I said, standing up and offering her my hand, which she promptly ignored. “We should get to work.”

  Chapter Ten

  Alison

  I stared up at the sign above the door. “This is Riker’s gym.”

  “Yeah,” Elliot replied. “I like to train here when I’m in town. I don’t get treated like a superstar here, so I can just get on with my work outs.”

  Riker’s gym had started as a small offshoot project for Riker to train people in the evenings. His classes had quickly grown in popularity, so he’d decided to expand into the building next door and offer a full suite of fitness classes. He had even thrown in a few pieces of cardio equipment, but had resisted adding free weights so as not to compete with the gym run by Nora’s dad.

  I’d hated Riker at first. Or at least, I’d hated the idea of him. But he’d been good for Nora, and I couldn’t deny that she was happier now than she’d been in a long time. I didn’t think I’d ever see her smile so much after her mom died, but when she was with Riker she grinned constantly.