We’ve talked every day since he left and I felt a little hollow inside and alone at the lack of communication. But I can’t get upset, because he has no idea what has transpired over the past few days. I’ve kept him completely in the dark about everything. Plus, it’s only been one freaking evening, how can I be that needy?
I step forward and reach for my bag when I see it on the carousel. Before I can grasp the handle, Shawn reaches forward and effortlessly tugs my big, heavy, bag off. “Anything else?” he asks.
“That’s all, do you think I need more?”
He looks at the bag, then lifts his eyes to me with a small shrug. “My girl always travels with three bags, even for a weekend. It’s kind of refreshing that you’re a minimalist.”
Pressing my lips together, I almost tell him that when you’re as poor as I’ve been my entire life, minimalism is just a way of life. I don’t though, because I think that’s just who I am, too. I can’t imagine what I would even put in three bags for a weekend trip.
We leave the airport together, straight toward a waiting car at the curb. Shawn jerks his chin toward the back-passenger seat, so I take his silent cue and slip inside. A man at the front behind the driver’s wheel turns around slowly and gives me a small smile.
“You must be Tulip Fischer?”
Nodding, I inhale a quick breath, I recognize him immediately. He’s the man that was in Louis’ house, the rather rude one. “I am, and you are?” I ask, though I already know exactly who he is because Louis told me.
His lips curl up into a smile. “I’m Gary, Louis’ publicist. I figured this would be a good time to talk to you about what is expected of you before, during and after this fight.”
He acts as though he wasn’t an ass to me just a few weeks ago. I let him show his ass. Whatever. I can play innocent, too. But the things that he’s saying, causes my breath to hitch.
Shawn slips into the front seat next to Gary and my stomach flips immediately. What’s expected of me? I didn’t think anything was expected of me other than wearing a little black borrowed dress, new light pink high heels, and cheering for Louis as he battles his daemons.
“Be nice, Gary. Louis already warned you,” Shawn drawls.
Gary shrugs then turns his gaze toward the front windshield before he eases into the heavy airport traffic. When he starts to talk, I only take in about every other word.
My mind is consumed with thoughts of Mark, Charlie, and how I’m going to tell Louis everything that’s transpired the past few days.
“You don’t talk to the press, not without me or Louis at your side. You say absolutely nothing, do you understand?” Gary snaps.
Nodding, I lift my gaze to meet his in the rearview mirror. “I do. No talking to anyone without you or Louis next to me,” I murmur.
“Good. Now, a stylist will be by with dresses, shoes, and jewelry for the fight.”
I blink, my lips parting slightly. “I have a dress,” I quietly inform him.
Gary snorts. “You’re going to be televised and the camera is going to pan over to you often. You represent Louis Kingston’s brand now. You will present yourself accordingly. I highly doubt anything you could have bought in Podunk, Texas would be acceptable for Las Vegas.”
“Gary,” Shawn warns.
I decide not to say anything in response. This is Louis’ world, and if this is what he wants, I’m fine with it. I don’t know anything about these things. I’ve never even seen a fight on television, let alone in person. I haven’t ever been to Las Vegas, so every aspect of this is a new adventure for me.
“We’re heading straight to the weigh in. I was supposed to be there ten minutes ago,” Gary mumbles. “Press will be there and you will be silent, yes?”
Nodding, I lift my gaze to meet his, but I don’t say a word. He dips his chin in a nod and continues to drive.
Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything else to me. I’m not sure that I care for him in the slightest, but this is Louis’ publicist, so I’m not going to make any waves.
We arrive at what looks like the back of a big building, possibly a casino. My eyes search everywhere for the name of the location, but I can’t find any identifying marks, not that I would even know what I’m looking for.
Gary is the first to climb out of the car and I reach for the handle of my door, but Shawn turns around and his eyes meet mine before I open the door.
“Ignore that asshat. He thinks he knows what’s best for Louis, but he doesn’t really know him. He only knows the image that he thinks Louis wants to portray. You know the real Louis.”
“I’m just going to keep my mouth shut.” I smile. “Louis is under enough pressure. I don’t want to add to that.”
Shawn nods his head once. “This is why Louis has chosen you, Tulip. You’re exactly what he needs.”
Without another word, he swings his door open, then tugs mine open as well. Slipping out of the car, I run my sweaty palms down my jeans. I’m not wearing anything remotely sexy, I’m wearing my travel clothes and I wish that I would have been able to change.
Cringing, I look down at my canvas flats, skinny faded jeans and tucked in oversized shirt. I try not to think about the fact that I’m not wearing makeup and my hair is thrown into a messy bun that’s sitting high on top of my head.
Plus, there’s the fact that I’m wearing an oversized cardigan to top it all off. Everything is shapeless, comfortable, and in no way how I want to present myself to a crowd of people for the first time, which I know without a doubt are gathered around while the two fighters weigh in.
Shawn presses his palm at the center of my back and gently pushes me forward. My legs reluctantly move forward and I inhale a shaky breath as Shawn holds the back door open for me.
As soon as I step inside, I hear a lot of noise, camera shutters, yelling, and random shouts of Louis and another person’s name. It’s funny, I don’t even know who Louis is going to fight. With everything going on, my stuff and his hesitancy about tomorrow, I haven’t ever thought to ask him the name of the man that he’s going to be competing against.
“It’s loud in here, but the good news is that nobody knows who you are yet, so you’ll be able to just watch,” Shawn explains.
Slipping into the room where all of the commotion is taking place, I blink at the sight in front of me. It’s not some small room like I thought it would be. No, Shawn and I are standing to the side of a stage and there are hundreds of people.
We’re in a freaking auditorium.
Fans are screaming, there are at least twenty people on stage with a scale in the center and giant screens behind the stage along with freaking camera crews.
“Pretty amazing, right?” Shawn asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
I nod, unable to take my eyes off of Louis. He’s dressed in a pair of exercise shorts and tight t-shirt. I lick my lips at the sight of him, even if his back is to me, he’s a swoon-worthy sight. The crowd starts to scream when the announcer mumbles something that I don’t understand in the microphone.
Then without delay, the other man strips down and I watch him stand on the scale. He turns his head, his eyes focusing on Louis and he snarls before he barks something that I can’t hear. Judging by the way Louis’ spine straightens, I think that I’m glad that I can’t hear him.
They announce the man’s weight, two hundred and five pounds. He uses his fists to pound on his chest as he roars. He’s obviously very happy about his weight.
“They have to be over two hundred pounds to qualify for a heavyweight fight,” Shawn explains.
“Next we have Louis 'KO’ Kingstooooooon,” the announcer roars into the microphone.
The crowd goes wild. There is no other word for the mayhem that ensues at the announcement of Louis’ name. He reaches for the hem of his shirt and peels it off, throwing his arms high and wide as he turns in a circle.
Then with one quick shove of his hands, his shorts fall to the floor in a pile and he steps out of them wearing onl
y the smallest of tight boxer briefs. My cheeks heat and I know that they turn pink at the sight of my boyfriend on display, practically every single inch of him.
“Well,” I breathe.
Shawn chuckles, sliding his arm around my shoulder and giving me a shake. I watch in awe as the other fighter starts hurling obscenities toward Louis. He doesn’t just call him names, he starts to call him a killer, a murderer, and my heart sinks.
“It’s all for hype, he knows that,” Shawn murmurs, but I’m not sure that he does.
I know that there are still extreme amounts of guilt that he’s dealing with. The last thing that he needs is his opponent talking like that to him, publicly. My heart squeezes as I watch and wait for what’s to come.
Louis stands on the scale, his face stony as he stares straight forward. He doesn’t even flinch at the words that are being hurled toward him. The announcer says some things, but I’m too focused on Louis until he announces the weight.
“Two hundred and fifteen pounds.”
The crowd erupts again and I watch as Louis throws his arms up before bouncing off of the scale and jumping in a circle. Then as if they’re two animals squaring off, both men stalk toward one another. They stand facing one another, nose to nose.
Louis’ opponent continues to scream in Louis’ face, but my man’s face doesn’t even twitch. Then when I think that it’s all over, I watch as Louis growls something to him. He jerks back as Louis turns and smoothly walks away from him.
A photographer follows him as he stalks in my direction. He hasn’t seen me yet, though. He can’t see anything right now. I know when he registers that it’s me standing in front of him.
His beautiful face shifts and his lips turn up into a grin right before he reaches out, wrapping his hand around my waist and none-too-gently pulls me against his body.
Placing my palms on his chest, I tip my head back and look into his gorgeous green eyes. I missed them—missed him.
“Hey, Louie,” I breathe.
His lips twitch and he smiles so wide that I see his white teeth. “Hey, baby.”
Without another word, his head slants to the side and those lips that I love so much, they’re pressed against mine in a hard, claiming, public kiss. Bright bursts of lights surround me, but then it, along with all of the noise fades away while my man kisses me for the first time in days.
My entire body relaxes. In this moment, all is well within my heart, my mind, and especially my soul.
LOUIS
Gary sputters around me as soon as we’re all offstage. I ignore him, my arm wrapped around my woman’s hip. I ignore everything around me, because she’s here and suddenly, I feel calm for the first time in days.
“I gotta get some clothes on, then we’ll go home,” I murmur, dipping my chin down to look at her.
Tulip turns her head, tilting it back and gives me a bright as fuck smile. Goddamn, how could she be any more gorgeous, I’ll never know, but every fucking time I see her, she simply takes my breath away.
Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth to hers quickly before I turn away and jog toward the dressing room.
“Are you sure you don’t want to use a model or something and just say that she’s Tulip?” Gary asks as soon as we’re in the room.
Aaron grunts his disapproval at Gary’s suggestion. Tugging on my jeans, I turn my head to look at him.
“Fuck, you’re an asshole,” I bark. “Tulip is my woman. That’s just the way it is. You get to make a lot of decisions for me, who I fuck isn’t one of them,” I snap.
Shawn chuckles and Aaron full-on guffaws. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, I don’t want to see Benny Meetze until I’m in the ring with him. He’s already proven that he has no issue hitting below the belt, I just don’t want to be around that shit.”
Jogging out of the room, I hear my entourage following behind me, but nobody makes it far, because what I see in front of me causes my entire body to freeze in its place.
Tulip is standing right where I left her, but she’s no longer alone. In the five minutes that it took me to change, Meghan found it necessary to slide up next to her. No fucking telling what the bitch is saying to Tulip.
My feet become unstuck, and I stomp toward them. Tulip must sense me because her gaze snaps to mine before I arrive. She licks her lips and widens her eyes at me. Smirking, I reach my hand out palm up and my chest puffs up when she slips her hand in mine.
Tugging her toward me, I glance over to Meghan and jerk my chin at her. “We’re leaving now,” I state.
Without waiting for her response, Tulip and I walk out of the arena. The SUV is waiting, running with Gary in the driver’s seat. Shawn and Aaron are taking their own car home, but I didn’t want to drive.
Gary grips the steering wheel, but I ignore him as we climb inside. The drive home is tense, at least for him, but not me. I’m not going to be led around in my personal life.
Who is in my bed and who I love, that doesn’t have anything to do with my career. Tulip is the woman that I’ve chosen and Gary, along with everyone else, doesn’t have any say in that.
A few moments later, Tulip and I are finally alone. Her bag is next to the front door and I lift my gaze to look at her, waiting and wanting to know exactly what Meghan said to her.
“Are you going to tell me what she said?” I ask.
Tulip shrugs a shoulder. “That she was the first woman you ever loved. That she wants you back and she will get you back. That there is no way that I can love you like she did. I don’t know you the way that she does.”
I let out a snort, then a bark of laughter shortly follows. “You believe her?”
Tulip shrugs again. “I don’t want to, mainly because I know that you know me better than Joey ever did. You love me more than he could and I love you more than I ever loved him.”
“She said she wanted to get back together, mainly because she’s getting a divorce and her husband is her cash cow. She’s doing photography right now for extra money. She doesn’t know me, not in the slightest. Nobody knows me the way that you do, Tullie.”
Tulip nods, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. I can see the little bit of doubt swirling in her gaze as she watches me. Taking a step toward her, I close the distance between us before I lift my hand and cup her cheek with my palm.
“Nobody, Tullie. You’re the only woman that I’ve ever loved.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
TULIP
Last night Louis and I ate dinner, then went to bed. He reminded me that we wouldn’t be having sex until we celebrated his win. Lying in bed, I watch as he showers and dresses for the day. He has an interview, then meditation for the rest of the afternoon until the fight.
“You’re going to be okay?” he asks.
Nodding, I sit up straight in bed. “Shawn is picking me up right before with his girlfriend. I’ll be sitting with them on the sidelines. I’ll be okay.”
He nods, his gaze cutting to me after he tugs on his jeans. “I will win,” he states.
Shifting my legs to the side of the bed, I slowly stand to my feet. Closing the distance between us, I place my palms on his still bare chest and tilt my head back.
“You will win and then we’ll come back here and celebrate.” I smile.
He shakes his head once, his lips twitch before he lifts his hand and buries his fingers in the back of my hair. He tugs on the strands gently, lowering his face so that his lips are brushing mine.
“We’ll celebrate in the locker room so that he can hear just how goddamn victorious I am,” Louis growls.
“Louie,” I breathe.
He grunts, his teeth scraping my bottom lip before they nip my flesh. “Fuckin’ you in that locker room, Tulip. Victory will never taste so goddamn sweet,” he growls.
“I don’t think I want to know what he really said to you.”
Louis chuckles, his eyes dancing as they search mine. “You don’t. But trust me when I say that men like him need to be knocked down a peg o
r two and as much as I’m dreading walking into that ring, I will not hesitate to knock him off of his self-built pedestal.”
My fingers flex against his chest. “I’ll see you tonight,” I whisper.
“Never looked forward to something as much as I’m looking forward to seeing you sitting ringside, baby.”
I wish that I felt the exact same way, but the fact is that I’m extremely nervous. It seems that I’m actually more nervous than Louis is, or maybe he’s just pumping himself up. I don’t know, but whatever it is, it has my stomach in knots.
“I’ll be right there, cheering you on,” I murmur.
Louis’ lips twitch and he touches them to mine just as there is a knock on the door. “It’s my ride. You’ll be good? Call Shawn if you need anything at all. He’ll be around and available for you.”
“I’ll be okay.” I nod.
Louis takes one step back, his eyes searching mine before he slips his feet into a pair of sandals and pulls on a t-shirt. “Fuck, you’re pretty, baby,” he murmurs.
Shaking my head slowly, I can’t hide the smile on my lips from his words. “Go, you got this,” I say.
He nods once, taking another step back, then another before he turns around. I watch him walk out of the room, but not before he pauses and looks back at me from over his shoulder.
“I love you, Tulip,” he calls.
“I love you too,” I breathe.
He winks, and then he’s gone. I hear him lock the door and after I’ve gathered myself, I take a quick shower. I was told, with eerily specific instructions not to wash my hair or apply any makeup.
I only have enough time to eat lunch and shower before people start arriving. Apparently, Gary thinks that I have no clue how to do anything for myself, that includes my hair, makeup, clothes, shoes, jewelry, and weirdly enough, picking out my own undergarments.
KILLER: An Unfit Hero Novel Page 26
