“Mack, you don’t deserve an answer, but I’m going to give you one. You’re an asshole, a selfish one. Is this really about you getting laid? Snap the fuck out of it. We’re almost to the top, and you should be kissing Darlene’s gorgeous ass for that. Now, where’s my sparring partner today? I feel like beating the shit out of someone.”
He watched Mack walk away and throw a towel over his not so broad shoulders. Some men didn’t know how to approach women. It didn’t help that the guy was barely five foot eight, balding, and fifty pounds overweight. Nope, that didn’t help one bit.
Joe snapped his mouthpiece in place and adjusted his helmet. He was ready. After sparring, he’d jump rope, punch a few bags, and run on the treadmill. He needed to sweat. Then he’d go home and make love to Darlene. He hadn’t realized how pissed off Mack had gotten him.
When he finished sparring, he ripped off his gloves and patted his partner on the back. “Great job. Thanks, Patty, glad it was you. At least you gave me a run for my money,” he said as the sweat dripped from him. He grabbed the clean towel that hung from the ropes off. He wiped his face then saw Mack walking in his direction.
“Joe, you need to work on that right hook. You’re coming in too low. Plus you’re leaving yourself wide open,” Mack said, handing him a cold bottle of water.
“Yeah, I guess. I just needed a good workout. Maybe I’ll jump the ropes now.”
“Tonight Tres Blackburn is having a little get-together. He’s invited us.” Mack never looked directly at him.
“A little get-together? He expects me?” Joe asked.
“Well, yes. His manager called me. I think he’s trying to feel you out personality wise. You know some of these guys play head games. However, this Tres, he’s smart and he’s mean. You know, they say he killed two men in the ring last year. He’s not happy with us at all. I think we should go.”
“I know what he’s capable of. He doesn’t scare me. We’ll go.”
Mack looked at him now. “What about Darlene? I don’t think this is the kind of party for her, Joe.”
“I agree with you, Mack. I’ll call her and tell her I’ll be home late.”
Mack smiled broadly and handed him a hanger with a plastic cover. “Here’s that Armani suit you were waiting for. The alterations are done; I figured you could break it in tonight.”
‘Thanks,” Joe answered him.
Mack handed him another bag. “I had them grab socks, underwear, and a pair of Italian loafers in your size. I figured you were going to need them too.”
“You thought of everything, Mack, like old times. Thanks. I’ll be out in a few.”
Joe walked toward the showers with his clothing. He had to admit there was a slight churning of excitement in his belly. He hadn’t been to any private parties since he’d been with Darlene. He knew he could behave himself. It would be fun to be the center of attention once again. He trusted himself not to do anything to ruin all he’d accomplished over the last few months .He’d never betray Darlene’s trust.
****
As parties go, he had to admit this one was right up at the top. Tres had rented a suite at the Waldorf. The food was amazing, filet mignon, lobster, shrimp, and the best caviar he’d tasted in a long time. The booze was all top-shelf, and the beer was ice cold and plentiful.
He was careful to pace himself and sat back, letting Mack have a good time. The chicks were all over Mack, and Joe had his share of attention. It was a small group, about twenty-five people, and Mack had been right in assuming Darlene wouldn’t be comfortable.
He kept his consumption to the ice-cold beer and didn’t overdo it. Mack had driven there, but Joe was going to make sure he called a car to take him home. At first, he was bored, but then a beautiful brunette sat down beside him. She had a decent head on her shoulders, and he was able to have an interesting conversation with her. They talked sports, and she surprised him by how much she knew. He finally had to ask her a few questions.
“Most women don’t know as much as you do about sports. I think you’re an anomaly.”
She laughed. “Well, it might help for you to know that I’m a sportscaster for channel twelve in New York City.”
He grinned. “Now that’s interesting. I have seen the trend; there are far more women interviewing players these days.”
“I’d love to interview you, Joe Murphy,” she said, crossing her long legs under her short skirt. His eyes traveled down their length to the very high heels she wore. He also noticed well-manicured fingernails, and her makeup was meticulous. She was one classy broad.
Then things began to heat up. A pretty blonde was more than a little high and began dancing. Before anyone could stop her, she'd taken off her shirt and bra. She was good as she bumped and ground her body to the music. Joe saw it coming; the party was going south, and he needed leave. It was too late. The blonde was already down on her knees, sucking away on Tres’s dick. His eyes scanned the room. All eyes were on the blonde. He continued to scan the crowd. Mack had disappeared and Joe surmised with the gorgeous dark-skinned woman he’d been fawning over all night.
He smelled the aroma of the weed as the huge joint made its rounds. When it was passed to him, instead he took a sip of his beer, passed on taking a hit and then gave it to the couple next to him.
The beer had given him a buzz, but he still had his wits about him. Tres let out a low groan as he filled the young woman's mouth and pushed back in his chair. Joe watched the white cream spill from her mouth as her tongue licked it the corners. Their eyes met.
“Oh, Joe Murphy, I need to suck your cock. Two boxers in one night,” she said, giggling. He went to get up, but two large hands held him down. Tres had gotten up, and he hadn’t noticed. Maybe he’d had more beer than he thought.
“Hey, she’s blown more boxers than I can count. Give the lady a break. Whip it out, Joe,” said Tres.
Joe gave him a side smile. Fuck, he thought, this wasn’t going well. Moreover, that motherfucker Mack wasn’t helping the situation. Then he watched his little nemesis, the white party powder, hit the glass table in front of him.
“Maybe your cock needs a little encouragement. I don’t fuck around with this shit, but I hear it’s been a bane of yours. Help yourself. Hear it gives you a roaring hard-on,” Tres said, pointing down to the woman who had just finished giving him head.
Joe had to admit, his cock was almost there. Watching her was arousing. He was only fucking human. His buzzed brain tried to reason, but all he could think of was, it’s only a blowjob, nothing more. What the fuck. He stood and unzipped his Armani trousers, letting loose his hard, aching cock.
“Oh, yummy. I do love boxers. They are all so well-hung,” she said and was on him, licking and sucking. He closed his eyes and let it happen. When he came, he let out a sigh of relief. It was over, and he wanted to get the fuck out of there. He had to get home. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He’d been an ass and betrayed the woman he loved, yes, loved. What the fuck was he thinking?
Chapter Three
He’d stayed longer than he intended then finally found Mack. He stopped drinking after his little run-in with the blonde. She could brag now that she had done two boxers in one night. Good for her.
He went looking for Mack. Finally, he saw him leaving one of the rooms and adjusting his clothing. He approached him. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. Did you get off, Mack? Glad, now if you want to stay, fine, that’s your prerogative, but I’m out of here,” Joe said, standing and walking over the bar. “Coke, please,” he said.
“Joe, I hear you got your rocks off too. See, I told you, you needed to get back into the swing of things,” Mack said.
“Ah, I see, so getting fucked or my cock sucked is getting back into the swing of things? Now that I know your meaning, fuck you, Mack. Don’t ask me to attend any more little private parties. I’m done. This is not my thing anymore.”
“Really,” Mack said sarcastically.
Joe guzzled down the soda.
“Yeah, really. Damn, I feel shitty. I betrayed Darlene’s trust.”
“I guess you’re gonna go home and cry to her. Ask her to forgive you. Christ, Joe, what the fuck has happened to you?”
“I’m not saying a word to her. I won’t risk losing her because of one stupid fucking asshole mistake. I should tell her, and I should beg her for forgiveness, but I can’t hurt her that way. What really pisses me off is that I risked losing the best thing I’ve ever had in my life for a fucking blowjob. I even make myself sick.” He put the glass down on the bar.
“Joe, you said it, a blowjob; that’s where it ends. Christ, some men even let other guys blow ‘em. That’s how much they love getting their dicks sucked. Get over it. It is what it is,” Mack said then guzzled his drink.
When Mack slammed his glass down on the bar, Joe took him by the collar and lifted him slightly off his feet. “When did you become such an asshole? Or have you always been one and maybe I’m just seeing it now. Don’t ever ask me or get me invited to one of these fucking little affairs again. I like to think I’m above this. I have what every man wants, a beautiful woman who loves him. Do you get the picture?”
Joe let go of Mack. “Don’t worry. Tell Darlene I said hi,” Mack adjusted his collar and turned back to the bartender. “Seven and seven,” he asked. “You make me laugh. Now it’s my entire fault. You could have said no.”
“You’re right, Mack. I could have, and I should have. Like I said, I’m a real asshole.” He pulled out his phone. “Do we still have that limo?” Joe asked.
“Yeah,” Mack said. “One sec.” He took out his phone and ran his finger over the glass. “It’s on its way. Good night, Joe.”
“Yeah, good night, Mack,” Joe said, walking toward the elevator that was connected to the suite. He saw him and walked over.
“Hey, man, leaving? By the way, thanks. That crazy mother-fucking blonde never stops. She’s sucked more dicks than I can count. Thanks for being a good sport. I’m looking forward to our match. From here on in, for me, it’s all business and training, I’m done with this shit until after the fight,” Tres said, the tone of his voice apologetic.
“Thanks for asking me. Yeah, but a good sport? My lady wouldn’t think so,” Joe said, looking at the floor numbers as they lit up on the elevator.
“Hell, do you think my wife would go along with all this? Bro, just let it go. It’s part of what we do, part of being who we are,” he said, slapping him on the back. “Thanks again for coming.”
Joe grabbed Tres’ hand and shook it. “See you in two weeks,” Joe said as the doors to the suite’s elevator opened. The door closed, and Joe let out a sigh. He was finally going home.
When he got home, Darlene was sound asleep, so he jumped into the shower. Was it possible to wash away the events of the night? He was so done with that scene. Maybe it was a good thing he went. You live and learn.
****
The next night Mack tried to call him several times. He shut off his phone. Then he tried to get him on his home phone.
“Joe, isn’t that Mack’s number?” Darlene asked when the number flashed across the kitchen television screen.
“Yup, and right now I have nothing to say to him. I’m not doing any interviews or appearances anywhere until after the fight,” he said.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I see. Does that mean you will be staying away from me too?”
“I can never get enough of you,” Joe said, kissing the side of her neck.
Darlene smiled. “You know me. I’m an open book. I can never get enough of you either. I tell you all the time you’re hot, but you know that already.”
“Do I?” He kidded and pinched her ass.
“Ouch, you bad boy,” she giggled and turned in his arms to face him. “Yes, you know you’re hot. I love that you do because you chose me.”
He scanned her beautiful face. Yeah, he’d chosen her. What man wouldn’t? Her body … damn! It was full and curvy. He had dated the tall, bony, silicone enhanced models. They were too full of themselves and Joe got bored with them quickly. Darlene had depth, a hell of a lot more than he deserved. He was in love, the way a man should be in love. He thought of no one else. He often wondered if she thought the same of him.
“That night at the Coliseum, the night I was drunk and seduced you, before that, did you ever think about me, you know, sexually?”
She took a deep breath. “You’re kidding with that question, right? Joe, I used to cream my panties every time I saw you at the Coliseum. Me and dozens of other women.”
“Really?” he asked, giving her his sexiest smile.
“Really. You know that. In fact, I’ll confess that night when I found you it did go through my head, what if? Then I was like, nah, he could have any woman he wanted. Why would he want me?”
“Damn, baby. Feel me. I’m hard already.”
Her hand slipped between them. “God, you are. Joe, we need to wait until I put Devon to bed.”
“I’ll read to him,” he chuckled. “That will cool me down; I enjoy reading to him. He loves adventure stories. He’s a great kid.”
“You’ve been so good to him, I take so much for granted, and I don’t say thank you often enough.”
“Baby, it’s easy He’s part of you, and I love you with every piece of my heart.” He pushed her hair back from her face. Her eyes met his. In their depths, he could see the passion and the love she held for him. What he saw was hard to put into words. She loved him. Not for money or fame, no, she loved him for the man he was. Since this whole rollercoaster ride began, he’d lost sight of who he was. His whole family had seen his turmoil, and he chose to ignore them all. One night of passion had saved his life and his career.
One of her soft hands caressed his jaw. “Sometimes I feel like we’re in a dream, Joe. I mean, we’re here in your place. I could never afford to live like this. You need to know all of this isn’t important to me. I’ve lived my life with much less and managed to be happy. Sharing all this with you is what’s most important. That’s where the happiness lies.”
Again, he stared into her eyes. The sincerity there overwhelmed him. How did he get so lucky? “Baby, I know that. I see you and Devon, and I know it’s all real. Since I began this journey, so much was a fantasy; people all around me, praising me, no matter what I did, good or bad … until I began to spiral downward. Man, they stomp all over your fucking face when you screw up. This is what I want. I can never go back, baby. Never.”
He experienced a pang inside his chest, a guilty ache, reminding him what a hypocrite he was. Here with her now, seeing the love and devotion in her eyes, confirmed to him what an asshole he’d been that night. He could beat a man senseless in the ring, yet in real life, he couldn’t find the guts to use the simple word no.
She kissed him softly. “No, you’ll never go backward. Only forward. I’ve watched you train. You’re one of the best fighters I’ve seen. My father said the same thing, and that coming from him, Joe, is monumental.”
He laughed. “Yeah, your father is a hard nut to crack.”
“Tell me about it, seems to be the story of my life.”
“He’s doing better now?” he asked.
“He’s fine. My mother has reassured me she has everything under control.”
He pulled her into his embrace and smiled as he heard the thud of little footsteps come rushing into the room.
Chapter Four
Devon stopped short at the sight of his mother and the big handsome boxer. “Hey, Joe, you done training yet?” Devon asked.
“Nope. Boxers train all the time. Why, you wanna come with me tomorrow?”
“Can I? Can I go with you again?” Devon asked, jumping up and down.
Joe looked at Darlene. “If mommy says it’s okay.”
She tilted her head slightly, and he could tell she was trying very hard to repress a smile. She’d voiced her dismay the first time he asked to take Devon, insisting that it was no place for a little boy. H
e had proved her wrong by taking her along too. Her eyes had widened at the size of the gym. She was surprised at how clean and modern it was. The caliber of people training there put her mind at ease. He’d asked her, “What were you thinking, babe?”
“Now I’m really embarrassed. I was thinking it was like Rocky, you know the movie and that this place would be small and dingy.”
He laughed. “There are still some gyms like that. I did train in one similar to that beat up place when I was younger. But since then, I’m glad to say, I’ve come up in the world.” He gave her a silly grin, making sure Devon saw it. The small boy laughed and grabbed Joe’s hand.
“Are we goin’, Joe?” he asked.
“Yes, we’re going tomorrow. Now it’s bedtime, and I feel a story coming on,” said Joe. He picked Devon up so he could kiss Darlene then ran with him into his bedroom. High-pitched giggles escaped the child’s lips, bringing a smile to Joe’s face. “Mmm, Curious George, what do think? Sound good?”
“Yes, I like him,” Devon said as Joe covered him with his blankets.
Joe turned off the bright lights and turned on the small nightlight next to the headboard. He sat with him on the bed and opened the book. He had read only a few sentences before Devon was sound asleep. Mission accomplished, he thought. Now it was time for the adults to play. He left the small nightlight on and left the door slightly ajar. He grinned. Thinking about Darlene had made his cock come to life.
When he walked into the living room, the lights had already been dimmed. Darlene was nowhere to be found. He checked the front door; it was locked, and he was sure she’d secured the rest of the house. His hand cupped his groin; damn, his cock was raging hard. He walked down the hallway to their bedroom and found her there, sitting on the bed, removing her stockings.
A Dominant Anthology Page 27