by Leigh, Ember
“Thanks. I can’t though. My trainer would flip. I’ve got my match next week.”
Marcus frowned. “Right. Forgot about that.” He moved the martini glass closer to him. “Maybe Titi will want it.”
“Titi?” Levi asked, smiling as a waitress dropped off a board menu.
“Yes. Titi LaCreux, your future ex-girlfriend.” Marcus grinned devilishly as he sipped at his own martini glass.
Marcus’s words sparked the grapefruit knot again. Levi rubbed at the space between his eyebrows. All he could think of was the deposit in his bank account. The NDA he’d signed. He was on the hook for all this shit.
“She’ll be here soon. I wanted to meet with you first though, so we can hammer out the timeline.” Marcus cleared his throat, opening up a folder on the table. “Your campaign officially begins today.” Marcus flashed another award-winning smile. “Aren’t you excited?”
Levi hefted with a laugh, trying to conjure some amount of enthusiasm. Aside from all the zeroes in his bank account, the other thing on his mind was Riley.
She was going to flip.
Everyone in his life was going to flip.
“I definitely wanna talk logistics,” Levi began, unable to fake the excitement Marcus was looking for.
“Of course, of course.” Marcus thumbed through some papers stapled together. “As far as I see it, we have a few different arcs we can take. I thought I’d offer you the choice first. But as I’m sure you remember in our contract, we have the final say on what gets projected into the media and how.”
Those words made Levi’s skin crawl, but he couldn’t figure out why. He should be elated that the media cared at all. This was what he’d been waiting for. Dreaming of. So why was he so uneasy?
“Titi LaCreux has officially landed,” Marcus went on. “She’s staying here in Beverly Hills for the next few months. We’ll be handing over your schedule so she can see where you’re going to be and what might make the most sense for public appearances. There will, of course, be paps following her every move. I assume the gym you train at will love the free publicity. It’s a win-win for them, really.”
“Mm-hmm.” Levi tapped his thumbs against the edge of the table. Marcus either didn’t notice or didn’t care that Levi was less than effervescent about the upcoming shenanigans. He laid out a few different storylines for Levi to choose from—whirlwind romance turned sour, whirlwind romance with a cheating angle, or multiple girls at the same time with a focus on the spurning of Titi.
All Levi could think of was Riley’s story about the paparazzi that had followed her after her break-up. To his ears, the options Marcus presented were make Riley upset, make Riley upset, or make Riley furious.
“So, here’s the thing, Marcus.” Levi ran a thumb over his knuckles, searching for the right words. “My situation has sort of changed since we did the contract.”
Marcus seemed unruffled. “Changed how?”
“I’m, like…with someone now.” But what would Riley say to that? “Sorta. I have a situation, let’s say. A situation similar to having a girlfriend.”
Marcus blinked. “So you want her in on it? We can make her one of the ‘other women.’ I wouldn’t be opposed to that.”
“No, it’s—” Levi paused, the air whooshing out of him. “I don’t want her involved at all.”
“That’s fine. She doesn’t have to be.” Clearly Marcus didn’t get it.
“But you see, I signed this before we were a thing, and—”
“Ah.” Marcus nodded, sitting back in his chair as the waitress dropped off their plates. “I see. Well, if you’re asking whether you can tell her about it, the answer is no.”
“But I—”
“You signed a contract,” Marcus said, his voice hardening as he unrolled his cloth napkin and spread it over his lap. “There is no peep of this outside of our circle. I’ve been in the business a long time, Levi. Maybe longer than you’ve been alive. And this sorta situation of yours, I don’t trust her to keep her mouth shut. Because she won’t. Statistically, anecdotally, and otherwise? She won’t. So don’t even think about it.”
That didn’t leave a lot of room for negotiation. Levi blinked at the cedar-roasted salmon on his plate.
“There are very strict consequences for breaking the NDA,” Marcus went on, shoving forkfuls of Caesar salad into his mouth. “I won’t get into them now, because I want us to enjoy our lunch. Oh, look!” He swallowed his bite, lifting his hand to wave at someone. “There’s Titi.”
Levi twisted in his seat to follow Marcus’s gaze. Your future ex-girlfriend. The grapefruit knot turned into a cantaloupe as the French model sauntered their way.
She was pure magazine material. The Bella Hadid of Europe. Long limbs, a sultriness tinged with youth that made heads turn as she walked over to them. Blonde hair, pulled back into a low, tight bun, glistened in the sunlight. She leaned forward to kiss Marcus on the cheek. Marcus pulled up a chair for her to join them.
Levi could only stare.
“I’ve been waiting to make this introduction for so long,” Marcus said.
“Hi, Titi,” Levi said, offering his hand, feeling already like he was making the worst mistake of his life. Like some photographer might capture the handshake and send it straight to Riley with a caption that said “CHEATER.” “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Her vowels were decidedly French, and she giggled into her palm as she shook his hand. “You’re so much more handsome in real life.”
Marcus winked over at him. Levi glanced down at his salmon, unsure what to say to her. So he stuffed a forkful of salmon in his mouth instead.
That was the best he could do.
Titi didn’t stay long. The three of them chatted as amicably as possible before she took off to do some shopping. Marcus watched her go with a fatherly glow on his face.
“She is going somewhere,” he murmured, sipping from his martini glass.
“She seems very talented,” Levi, which seemed about the most useless thing to say. “I need to head to the gym now.”
“Great. I think today went well. Let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise?” Marcus cocked a finger gun. “I’ll see you in the mags.”
Levi left Beverly Hills feeling one hundred percent less excited for the deal than the day he’d met Marcus. He couldn’t soothe himself in the usual ways—fucking or alcohol—and not even in the new way—Riley. With the fight less than two days away, he wouldn’t see her again until the night of the match. Training was on hold until after the fight, so Riley had no scheduled practices to attend. And interpersonally, well…they both knew he needed to stay away from her. There could be no more sex slip-ups this close to go time.
So Levi continued as normal. He pushed the conundrum out of his mind as much as he could, through whatever means he could. He turned into an incessant joke-telling machine at home. He texted Riley enough to make her ask if he had an unlimited texting plan because he was about to break new records, and he watched movies with Gage so he could distract his mind for tiny stretches at a time.
It worked. Or at least, it worked well enough. By the time fight night arrived, Levi was the usual ball of energy waiting to unload on his opponent.
As he got to the dressing room, Levi had two things on his mind: winning this fight and seeing Riley.
She came inside while Travis and Lex were talking him up. He stared into the mirror, practicing a focal point exercise that felt a lot like meditation but without any of the Zen stuff. But as soon as she came in, his gaze shot to her. It was impossible not to notice her. She completely brightened the room when she came in. Even though she tried to stay dark and mysterious, she was still made of pure sunshine.
“Look at you,” Lex said, squeezing the tops of his shoulders. “You’re smiling like a goof.”
“A goof?” Levi twisted back to smirk at Lex. “That’s the best you got?”
“Hi guys,” Riley said with a little smile. Her hair looked different—no
longer rich mahogany but lighter now. Summery, somehow. And maybe shorter. Whatever it was, his abs tightened as usual. He didn’t bother trying to hide his stare.
“What’d you do?” Levi asked. “You look different.” In his head, he added, killer as usual.
“I got my hair cut.” She grinned at the three of them.
“Just one? Why didn’t you get all of them cut?” Levi asked.
“Oh, for God’s sake—” Lex started.
“Dammit, I didn’t see that coming,” Riley said, shaking her head.
“I think that’s the pre-fight joke right there,” Travis said, clapping Levi on the back. “Which means we’re ready to go.”
Travis and Lex filed out of the room. Riley held up a hand. “You wait. I want to get a picture first.”
He sauntered closer to her until her hand pressed against his chest. He leaned forward and snagged the kiss he’d been craving since she’d shown up. Since the last time he’d seen her, really.
“Anything you want, Ri.” He coaxed another kiss from her lips.
“Don’t,” she said, sliding her palm over his bicep. “You need to be ready for your fight.”
“Mmmm.” He extracted a sloppy kiss from her, pressing his tongue against hers. His thighs tensed from wanting more. “This made me readier.”
She smiled up at him, the pure joy he saw there completely addictive. He could look at this face for an entire month and still want more.
“Stay there.” She hurried into the doorway and lined up a shot, giving him instructions on how to stand. Travis came back to the door.
“You lovebirds ready?” Travis barked. “Come on. We’ve got a fight to win!”
Those were the last words he needed to hear. Levi started bouncing, hopping from foot to foot as he followed Lex and Travis down the narrow hallway leading up to the arena. The closer they got, the louder the rumble of the crowd.
Adrenaline prickled through him, the rising swell of people and shouts and energy reducing him to tunnel vision. It happened automatically, the thunder and weight of the crowd forcing him into hyper-focus. The octagon grew nearer; Riley fell away. Lights blazed, causing him to squint.
And the chanting. Oh, the chanting was out in full force.
“LE-VI LEAD FIST. LE-VI LEAD FIST.”
It was louder than it had ever been. An intense chorus that almost—almost—broke him out of his trance. Trav and Lex herded him up into the cage. Hands taped. Opponent in view.
The announcer went through introductions as usual. When it came time for Levi to parade around a little in the ring, he caught sight of Riley down in the photographer’s pit. Her words came rushing back to him. The broken lens. The asshole who’d smacked her.
Levi catapulted toward the cage, hooking his fingers in the steel mesh. He shook it for effect as he caught the attention of everyone nearby.
“Are you the prick that broke her lens?” Levi shouted over the roar of the crowd, scanning the men around Riley. His back prickled with awareness. He didn’t have much time to make his point. The fight couldn’t get held up. The referee could be on him in a second. Riley looked up with him at wide eyes, but she jerked her thumb to the right, pointing out the offending photographer from the last match.
“You stay the fuck off of her.” Levi’s voice came out hoarse as he shook the cage again, locking eyes with the bald guy to her right. Everything rattled and hissed. “You break her camera again, and I’m coming for you.”
“There’s a reason they keep you assholes in a cage!” shouted the photographer, a stupid sneer on his face. Levi’s remaining thread of composure snapped, and he launched himself up the wall of the cage. The arena roared with excitement as he scrambled up the side and launched himself over top. He had no idea what he was even doing, what the game plan was. He just needed to make a point. Make a scene. Protect Riley.
The photographers on the other side splayed out as he came barreling down. His feet landed with a thud on the other side. Levi grabbed the photographer by the shirt collar and backed him against the wall of the cage, pressing that white dome into the mesh.
“What about when I’m out of the cage?” Levi demanded, shaking him like a rag doll. The shock on his face was gold. Everyone around them spilled away, a wave-like rush to get out of Levi’s path. Travis was on him a second later, tugging Levi back toward the ramp up to the cage. Baldy looked jostled—maybe downright scared—once Levi released him. Travis pushed him back up the pathway toward the cage.
“And what the fuck was that display?” he hissed. “You trying to get disqualified?”
“Just making a point.”
“The whole point is to fight inside the cage, Levi!” Lex taunted as they entered the octagon for a second time. Back in the cage, judges were confused, and Levi made quick work of pleading his case. His photographer had been threatened—nothing further like that would happen. He got a warning, with a possibility for a purse deduction. Losing money from his payout for threatening the photographer. Wasn’t the worst that could happen.
Levi caught Riley’s eye from the side of the cage.
She had a grin a mile wide on her face.
Travis popped in the mouthguard. Levi’s focus shrank to a pinpoint.
It was time to fight.
Chapter 23
MMA FIGHT EXITS THE CAGE.
PRO FIGHTER SO AMPED, HE CHALLENGED THE PHOTOGRAPHER
DON’T LOOK AT THIS GUY WRONG! MMA FIGHTER TRIES TO SQUEAK IN A BONUS ROUND
Riley’s head spun. Only three days post-fight, and Levi already had a collection of headlines. Travis had laid them out on the edge of the reception desk like a proud father.
“I can’t even be mad,” Travis said, offering Levi a high five.
“Then don’t be.” Levi flashed a grin.
Riley picked up the Daily News. Levi scrambling up the side of the cage was the feature photo. Photo Credit: R. Montagne. Her second feature photo thank to MMA, which was something she’d thought about accomplishing approximately zero times prior to meeting Levi. She’d been one of the few photographers not totally paralyzed with fear and awe once he started mounting the wall. And her hard work paid off.
After two full nights spent in glorious bliss, tangled in Levi’s bedsheets and wandering his apartment as if she’d lived there forever, she could only feel proud of him.
“They don’t mention the fact that I won the fuck out of my match,” Levi said, thumbing through the newspapers. “All they care about is that I went apeshit on the photographer.”
“Drama sells.” Travis sent a pointed look at Levi. “And you know how to make drama.”
Levi cocked a grin, the kind that Riley had once hated but now adored. All she could do was stare at him. Her fingers twitched with the urge to touch his hair, even though she’d spent the past two nights doing exactly that.
“Just being myself,” Levi said.
A stream of people entered the gym, heading toward the back. One of the guys shouted, “Levi Lead Fist!” Levi turned and waved.
“Well, keep it up. You’re bringing a lot more attention to this league and the gym. And that helps us all.”
Levi slung his arm around Riley’s shoulders, which sent contentment spiraling through her. She tilted her head back to look up at him. Found his warm smile waiting for her.
“And Ri-Ri got featured again,” Levi said, squeezing her.
Cobra strutted into the foyer, holding up a palm for high fives all around. “What did I miss? You guys look fucking suspicious.”
“No suspicion here. Just pure gloating.”
“Riley? Are you alive?” Travis nudged her. “You haven’t said one word.”
“Sorry, guys.” She blinked a few times. It was a struggle to find her voice through the heavy haze of complete and utter sexual satisfaction. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to take pictures today. Not when her body wanted to melt into a languid pile of happiness. Limbs heavy with orgasm, mind completely muted. “I’m thrilled. And bra
indead.”
“We’ve been celebrating pretty hard,” Levi explained. The only thing hard about their celebration was his cock, which had entered her body countless times. Another shiver raced through her. What had her life been before Levi?
His use of the word “hard” didn’t escape the dirty-minded men around her. Everyone snickered or groaned or some combination of the two.
“Levi and Riley, sittin’ in a tree…” Cobra started the familiar kids’ rhyme.
“Okay, before this turns into an elementary school playground, let’s get to work. We’ve already got a crowd waiting for us back there.” Travis herded everyone back toward the gym so Levi could begin practice. Riley’s camera bags jostled at her side as Levi kept his arm securely around her shoulders.
“You okay, babe?” Levi asked into her ear. The pet name only made her swoon harder. The use of “babe” had begun sometime over the last few days, but it felt like he’d been calling her that for years. Seriously—what had life been like before Levi?
“Mm-hmm.” She sent him a lazy smile. “Already sad that you’re gonna have to take your arm off me soon.”
He laughed throatily. “I won’t tell John Stamos he’s been replaced.”
She swatted at his chest, pleased by the puff of vetiver and copper this sent her way. She could sniff his neck for an eternity and still need more. “Blasphemy.”
Levi eventually had to leave her to change in the locker room. Riley took the time to refocus, refill her coffee in the break room, and start acting like she was a functioning adult. Time to drop the sex coma, because she was here to work.
Today’s practice was going to have spectators. It was one of the few mid-league practices that would involve something of a small-scale fight ticket, so Riley needed to be on hand to capture the different rounds. Levi would be fighting against a few people, but others would fight as well—smaller-ticket fighters in the region, and some hopefuls from Travis’s training camp that wanted to take a stab at fighting a professional.
The back gym already buzzed with activity. Nowhere near the scale of the WFC league’s fight nights, but a stark contrast to what Levi’s practices usually entailed. Interested spectators already lined the octagon, staking out their spots around the cage. Travis had roped off a small area for Riley exclusively, like the thoughtful facilitator he was.