Steel

by Jeanne St. James

  When he was done and after he settled himself and Scarlet back into his chair, he got back to business like the big badass behind the desk hadn’t just wiped a baby’s ass.

  “Got a call from a guy—”

  “A guy?”

  Diesel cocked a brow at him.

  “I’ll shut up.”

  “Don’t think you fuckin’ can,” Diesel grumbled. “Got a call from a guy ‘bout doin’ some personal security for a girl.”

  “A girl?”

  Diesel gave him a look and Steel raised his palms. “Go on.”

  “Girl’s got a stalker. Can’t shake ‘im. Guy doesn’t know who it is. Got the pigs involved an’ nothin’ so far. Worried she’s gonna get hurt or takin’ out. Guy’s her manager.”

  “For what?”

  “She’s an athlete or some such shit. Who fuckin’ cares? Payin’ good. Will put a nice chunk of scratch in your fuckin’ pocket for more lap dances by chicks with dicks.”

  “So, she does have a dick?”

  D closed his eyes and shook his head like he was trying not to go into beast-mode.

  Steel thought it was smart to let that subject drop. “Do I need to find the stalker?”

  “No. Just protect ‘er ‘til the pigs do their job.”

  “Which means, we don’t know how long this will take,” he muttered.

  “Fuck no. That’s why I’m sendin’ you instead of any of the others. Got no ball an’ chain. Can stay until it’s over or they run out of scratch.”

  “Brick,” Steel suggested. Fuck, him and Brick were the only single ones left out of the crew.

  “You turnin’ down the job? Don’t even answer that. You ain’t turnin’ down the job ‘cause you’re assigned to the fuckin’ job. Don’t like it? There’s the fuckin’ door.”

  Steel sat back and grinned, knowing D was just blowing smoke up his ass. His team was good and worked well together, he wasn’t going to break it up just because someone turned down a job.

  “Lucky for you, she’s a fuckin’ gym rat. You’ll be able to work out while you watch her.”

  Steel’s ears perked up.

  “Figured you’d like that,” D grumbled.

  “Where’s this job at?”

  “Where you want it to be?”

  Steel tilted his head. “Hawaii would be good.”

  “Well, fuck then, it’s your lucky fuckin’ day.”

  Steel’s head popped up. “The job’s in Hawaii?”

  Diesel gave him a look. “Yeah. On the tropical island of Las Vegas. Lots of fuckin’ sand for you out there. Can work on your fuckin’ tan.”

  Steel lifted a shoulder, thinking about the possibilities. “Vegas ain’t bad.”

  “I say Vegas? Sorry to get your fuckin’ dick hard. Meant twenty-somethin’ miles outside of it. Boulder City.”

  “So, what you’re saying is, I’m gonna be sweating my balls off.”

  “You got balls?”

  “Of steel,” Steel reminded him. “Hence, my name.”

  Diesel grunted and shook his head.

  “Is it twenty-four-seven? Or am I getting help?”

  “You’re it. Unless you don’t think you can handle babysittin’ one girl.”

  “I can handle it.”

  “Show up at a place called The Strike Zone an’ ask for Peter Berger. He’s her manager. He’ll give you more details when you get there.”

  “And when am I getting there?”

  D grunted, “Yesterday.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Goin’ the fuck home now. Soon as Jewelee’s up to feed Scarlet, gonna have her get you on the next available flight an’ email you that shit, got me?”

  Steel nodded. “Got you. Least I’ll be close to the Strip.”

  “Don’t be draggin’ the girl to your underground fights, asshole. You’ll leave her scarred for life. This is a payin’ job, not a vacation. Need to stay on her twenty-four-seven.”

  The boss man knew him too well. “Twenty-four-seven. Roger that.”

  D shook his head and stood up from the chair, careful not to wake the sleeping baby. “Now, get gone. Gotta get home before she starts cryin’ for Jewelee’s tit.”

  Steel opened his mouth to make a joke, thought better of it and closed it instead. Beside Slade, he was one of the best fighters in the area. But he was sure fucking glad he never had to go against D in the ring. The man might not float like a butterfly, but he could sting like a fucking sledgehammer.

  And joking about the boss man’s ol’ lady’s tits might warrant a not-so-gentle boop from D’s fist.

  Chapter Two

  Steel walked into The Strike Zone and sighed with relief when the cool air hit him. He swore his balls had sweated down to the size of peanuts. And his dick was permanently glued to what was left of them.

  He wanted to rip off his cargo pants and stand in front of an A/C unit or at least toss some ice down his boxer briefs.

  Whose stupid idea was it to build towns out in the desert?

  The gym was in a warehouse-like building, a bit larger than Shadow Valley Fitness. His home away from home. Like Slade and Diamond’s gym back home, this one had rolled rubber flooring, large screen TVs hanging above stationary bikes, treadmills and the normal cardio equipment. Across the large building he noticed a whole slew of free weights and weight-lifting equipment. To his right, large windows made up a wall and behind that wall were rooms where the gym probably held classes. Like Zumba or step aerobics or some such shit.

  What caught his attention, though, was, while hardly anyone was using the gym since it was a workday and most nine-to-fivers came before or after work to get their sweat on, noises came from an open doorway to the left.

  He stepped up to the front desk where a college-aged girl sat, busy on her cell phone. After standing in front of her for a good minute, he cleared his throat and she finally looked up.

  “Hey.”

  “Well, hey! Busy fucking day?” he asked, making sure his heavy sarcasm was duly noted.

  The girl cracked her gum and answered, “Not really.”

  There would be no way Slade or Diamond would tolerate a girl like this greeting their members.

  The girl gave him a once over head to belt buckle, suddenly slapped a smile on her face and tossed her purple-tipped bleach blonde hair. “Can I help you with something?”

  Yeah, no. Blondie was way too young for him. And would probably just lie in bed waiting for him to do all the work.

  No fucking thanks.

  “Looking for Peter Berger. He here?”

  She lifted one shoulder and cracked her gum again. “Prolly in there.” She pointed a finger toward the room to the left.

  Steel gave her a chin lift and headed in that direction.

  “Hey, are you a member?”

  “Yep,” he tossed over his shoulder and stepped up to the two propped open steel doors and instantly fell in love.

  The “room” couldn’t be considered a room at all, but an extension of the main warehouse. Fuck, this place was a lot larger than he originally thought. And it made his mouth water and his dick hard. It had an open floor plan with high ceilings and large industrial-type pendant lights hanging from the exposed metal beams.

  An octagon-shaped cage sat in the middle of the space with a full-sized boxing ring right next to it. Thicker mats covered a large area of one corner for what could be used for wrestling or MMA. A bag area took up another corner.

  Slade needed to set up Shadow Valley Fitness like this so they could train for MMA and not just teach kickboxing and boxing, along with the rest of the normal fitness club stuff they offered.

  It wasn’t only the gym’s setup giving him a hard-on. The noise he heard? It was a woman on the mats sparring with a man.

  His brain rewound, then he pushed play again.

  A woman sparring on the mats with a man.

  Hot fucking damn.

  A man at least fifty pounds heavier and six inches taller. But, fuck, she was going at
him like a pro.

  Amazingly enough, her larger partner was having a hard time blocking some of her blows. While they both wore protective head gear, she only wore a sports bra on her chiseled, muscular torso. A pair of black spats, that fit her like a second skin, covered her powerful thighs and ass. He was surprised to see both fighters wearing shin guards.

  He found that curious. Normally boxers didn’t wear shin guards while training. Mouthguards, yes. Sparring gloves, yes. Headgear and sometimes chest protectors for the women, yes.

  But shin guards? Maybe she was a kickboxer.

  “Anson Sterling?” a male voice said behind him.

  Steel twisted his neck to size up the man approaching him. “Steel,” he corrected him.

  The blond-haired man, who looked pretty fucking buff himself, cocked an eyebrow at him as he stepped next to Steel. “You’re not Anson Sterling?”

  “That’s what my daddy named me after my momma squeezed me out, but no one uses it.” He turned back to watch the woman bounce around the mat on the balls of her bare feet.

  “So, you want a check written to just ‘Steel?’ The bank will deposit it like that?”

  Steel detected a bit of sarcasm in the man’s words. “No checks. Wire the fees to my boss,” he mumbled, distracted and unable to pull his eyes from the woman who continued to move efficiently around the mat, doling out punches like a champion boxer and skillfully dodging incoming hits.

  She could move smoothly and quickly. She had power behind her strikes. And she knew how to anticipate her partner’s next move.

  She was no beginner in the ring.

  The man moved from his side to block his view, holding out his hand. “I’m Pete Berger, Kat’s manager and trainer.”

  With a hand to the guy’s shoulder, Steel shoved him out of his line of vision. “Hold on, gotta watch this one. She’s hot as fuck. She’s giving me a—”

  Berger cleared his throat loudly. “Maybe I made a mistake by contacting your organization. You won’t be the best person to be Kat’s bodyguard.”

  That statement drew Steel’s attention to the man. “Why’s that?”

  “Because that ‘hot as fuck’ woman is Kat.”

  His whole body froze. Hell, time froze. Then he snapped out of it and closed his gaping mouth. “She’s the girl who needs protection?”

  Berger glanced over his shoulder toward the mat. “I’m not sure it’s wise to call her a girl. Especially to her face.”

  “I was told it was a girl who was an athlete. I figured a gymnast, a tennis player, or... I don’t know, a fucking swimmer. Not a fucking boxer.”

  “She’s not a boxer.”

  Steel lifted his eyes from Berger back to the mat beyond him. “No? Sure as fuck looks like she’s boxing.”

  “She’s training.”

  “No shit.”

  It was then that this “Kat” threw a roundhouse kick and struck her partner’s outer knee, making him collapse like a deck of cards to the mat. She fell on him and they began to grapple.

  Holy fuck.

  With her pinning the guy down, her ass up in the air, her tits shoved into his chest, Steel wished it was he who was on his back on that fucking mat.

  Damn. Could he adjust himself without ol’ Petey noticing?

  From her position of pinning the other guy to the mat, after the guy tapped out, she jumped straight up and landed nimbly on her feet. Fuck! Just like a cat. He was right, she had to have some powerful thighs and calves to do that. Not to mention great balance and flexibility.

  She offered a glove to her downed partner, who hooked it with his own, and she helped him stand. They pounded their gloves together, removed their headgear and mouthguards before helping each other remove their sparring gloves.

  Her tan skin was slick with sweat and her short dark brown hair was damp and plastered to her head.

  Well, there went his half-chub. Women in shape could give him a raging hard-on, but the short hair was a no-fucking-go.

  A hard pass.

  “I thank you for flying all the way out here but if you can’t treat Kat with respect, then we’ll just find someone else.”

  Oh fuck no, he didn’t fly the fuck out there for nothing. “I have no problem giving her respect. I’m a boxer myself. Also dabble in a little kickboxing and MMA.” Steel jerked his chin up toward Kat and her partner, who were still standing center mat talking. “What I just saw her do gets my respect. But I gotta say... She probably doesn’t need anyone protecting her.”

  If Berger couldn’t see that, he was blind.

  “That’s what she thinks.”

  Steel shifted his gaze from Kat to Berger. “She’s right.”

  “Until this person... this stalker is caught, I don’t want her to be on her own. I have a wife and I can’t stay with Kat twenty-four-seven since I’d like to keep my marriage in one piece. And I’m not a bodyguard, anyway. “

  “Looks like you can hold your own, Berger.”

  Kat’s manager tipped his head. “In a pinch, yes. But I prefer she was watched over by a trained professional. And I heard that In the Shadows Security was the best. Hopefully that wasn’t wrong.”

  “It’s not.”

  Berger nodded. “Then as long as you can conduct yourself in a professional manner, why don’t I introduce you to Kat? I’ll leave it up to her whether you stay or go.”

  Great. Leave the decision up to the woman who probably didn’t want a babysitter. D would kill him if they lost this job. Berger was paying a hefty fee and all of Steel’s expenses.

  He needed to be on his best behavior until little Kitty Kat agreed with Steel keeping an eye on her.

  Then after that...?

  “Kat,” Berger called out, catching her attention. “Come meet Mr. Sterling.”

  “Steel,” Steel corrected him again, in a low growl this time.

  “Anson, this is Katheryn Callahan.”

  Now the guy was just being a dick on purpose.

  “Kat,” she told him.

  “Steel.”

  Her handshake was firm, and she gave his fingers a strong squeeze. He wanted to chuckle at her attempt at trying to intimidate him. She was strong but she wasn’t stronger than him.

  “Steel?”

  Her eyes were an interesting amber color and now she really reminded him of a kitty.

  Meow.

  “Yep. Prefer Steel just like you prefer Kat.”

  When her fingers loosened, his tightened on hers, keeping her there for a second longer. Then he let her loose. Those striking amber eyes narrowed on him and she gave him a good once over before stepping back, giving herself more space.

  “Heard you have a persistent admirer,” Steel said.

  “Nothing I can’t handle on my own.”

  Steel lifted his chin toward the now empty mat. “Pretty impressive.”

  “Now my life’s complete,” she responded dryly with an arched brow.

  Oh, she was a fucking smart ass.

  “He says he’s an experienced boxer,” Berger said.

  Kat tilted her head and studied Steel. “Maybe we’ll have to spar.”

  Only if you take me down like you did your practice partner... and we’re naked.

  “Unless you have a thing about fighting girls,” she added.

  Steel didn’t miss the challenge in her voice. “I was told by Berger here that you’re not a girl, you’re a woman.”

  Her eyes slid to Berger and back to him. “And that’s correct.” She turned back to her manager. “He’s the one that’s supposed to stick to me like glue?”

  “Yes, but only if you’re okay with it. If you’re not, we’ll find someone else. Kat, I know you don’t want this, but it’s for the best. So, it’s either Steel here or someone else.”

  Those tawny eyes, which easily distracted him from the too short hair, landed on him again. “So, I’m stuck with someone no matter what,” she murmured. She ran her gaze from his feet up to the top of his head. “At least he’s not hard
to look at.”

  Damn. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Steel said.

  Kat lifted one shoulder. “I don’t care how you take it.” Then she just fucking dismissed him, giving him her back. “Anything new from the cops, Berg?”

  Berger shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll call the detective again tomorrow. For now, why don’t you get showered and changed, and he can drive you home. Do you have a rental, Steel?”

  Steel was still caught on the thought of Kitty Kat in the shower. He murmured a distracted, “Yeah.”

  “Good. We keep switching up cars as an extra precaution. I’ll return her latest rental and you can use yours to get around for the next few days, then we’ll switch it out again.”

  Now, that got his attention. Wasn’t that his decision to make as her personal security? He’d let it go this time because he hadn’t officially stepped into the position. But once he did, Berger was going to have to leave the decisions to him.

  “How many days will he be sticking to me ‘like glue?’” Kat asked Berger.

  “As we already discussed, as long as it takes until the threat is handled.”

  Threat.

  Steel’s head spun toward Berger. “There have been threats, too? Not just some creepy stalker?”

  Berger gave him a look Steel couldn’t read. “Kat, head to the locker room. I’ll catch Mr. Steel up to speed while you shower.”

  Kitty Kat took another hard look at him, then turned on her bare feet and wandered out into the main gym.

  Steel did his best not to stare at her ass as she walked away since Berger was watching him carefully. He turned and gave Berger a big grin.

  Berger sighed. “Please don’t make me regret this.”

  “Don’t worry, I got your girl.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Steel got serious. “Now, hit me with some of the details so I know what the hell I’m in for.”

  “At this point, the info is limited. I can tell you it’s a man. We’ve worked with several police departments because I’ve moved her twice already and he keeps finding her. Currently, we’re dealing with a Las Vegas detective. However, I’m not sure how seriously he’s taking it. Besides the correspondence, they have no fingerprints but plenty of DNA.”