All In
Page 22
I brace myself, already wincing at where this is going. The sardonic, dismissive response from Jaime, the verbal retaliation from Connor. The wise-cracking back and forth turning the atmosphere sour—and all before we’ve even been handed the menus.
“I thought it was…” Jaime starts, and I close my eyes. “Pretty impressive, actually.”
I open one eye to look at Jaime, and see that she’s not joking.
“Thanks,” Connor says, visibly relaxing.
“Really?” I say, at the same time.
Jaime smiles at me.
“I appreciate hard work,” she says. “Not giving up when you feel like you’re pushed to your limits. Trying to achieve greatness through perseverance, discipline, and attitude. I mean, fighting is a particularly brutal, primitive form of that, but…I can see the work.”
I look at Connor again, open-mouthed. He grins, reaches over and chucks my chin gently, closing my mouth. The vibe at the table is quickly turning more harmonious than I ever expected, and I reach for Connor’s hand under the table and squeeze it in silent thanks.
We get our menus and order quickly. Idle chit-chat over the appetizers begins to relax us as we work down to the last third of the bottle of wine. Connor tones down the aggressive jokes, Jaime in turn tones down the sarcastic comments—it’s like they’re going out of their way to stay on their best behavior. Pretty soon it almost feels like we’re all friends just there to enjoy a nice meal, but then halfway through the main course Jaime reaches down to her side and pulls out a folder. My pulse kicks up about ten notches and my mouth goes dry.
“So. Let’s get down to business,” she says, pushing aside her plate to open the folder in front of her.
“Okay,” I say, swallowing a forkful of risotto. “What’s your decision?”
Jaime purses her lips as she flicks through her papers.
“It’s a bit more complicated than a yes or no.”
I lay down my fork and look at Connor, who puts a hand on my knee—the gesture supportive, rather than sexual, for once.
“First off, you’re paying too much rent,” Jaime says.
“Pfft. Tell me about it.”
“And your landlord is an asshole.”
“I’m impressed,” Connor smiles, “you can tell all that from her accounts?”
Jaime smiles tightly.
“No. Well, the fact that he made you pay for those plumbing repairs he was liable for several months ago is one thing…” she pauses a second. “And the fact that he made an aggressive pass at me when I spoke to him a few days ago is quite another.”
“Seriously?” I say. “I’m so sorry. He’s kind of—”
“Maybe I should be taking care of this guy?” Connor says.
“Please,” Jaime interjects. “I’m perfectly capable of handling people like him. He won’t be a problem for long.”
“What are you suggesting?” I ask after a little pause.
“Well, I spoke with Scott, and he agrees it makes sense. So…we’re going to buy the studio.”
Connor squeezes my knee, and I stare blankly at the chandelier above me as I let it sink in.
“Buy it?”
“Yes.” Jaime nods. “We’ll buy it at a price that we negotiate, and then we’ll use your rent—which we’ll reduce so it’s comparable for the neighborhood—for the mortgage payment. Of course we’ll have a fixed rate of interest, so you get a more manageable balance, and within five to ten years, depending on the net income for the business, you’ll be able to walk away owning the property. I think these are the most reasonable circumstances for everyone involved.”
I take my time answering, Connor’s gentle stroking coaxing me back to reality.
“Honestly it sounds great, but I know for a fact that David will never sell the place.”
Jaime flashes an almost evil smile. “Then he’ll face a sexual harassment lawsuit. One which will be difficult for him to fight, considering the evidence.”
“What evidence?” Connor asks, leaning forward.
“The security camera footage from the studio that’s stored on Frankie’s hard drive, the statements she and I are both willing to make in court, and the fact that he’s been charged with it several times in the past,” Jaime says breezily. “Taking into account his position as your landlord, we can also add in a claim for sexual discrimination toward his renter. At best, he would lose twice as much money in lawyer fees as he’d lose from our lowball offer. At worst he’ll be completely financially crippled and lose every property he owns. Honestly, I might even make the sale and go through the lawsuit just for the karma.” She throws me a little wink and I can’t help grinning when I realize she’s just made a hippie joke.
Then I look at Connor, whose eyebrows are raised so high it looks like he’s riding a motorcycle a hundred miles an hour down the freeway without a helmet.
“That sounds like a pretty good offer, Frankie,” he says.
“There’s one condition,” Jaime interjects, jumping in a split second before I can agree to her deal. This is the timing of someone who does million-dollar deals before breakfast. She looks from me to Connor.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Connor has to take an active role in the business,” Jaime answers.
I search her face for the telltale sign of a dinner party joke, a quirk of the lips, the glint of an eye, but she’s as serious as bad news.
“What?” Connor says, his attention now fully on her, his brows drawing together in confusion.
Jaime thumbs some sheets of paper in her folder as if we can see them.
“The fact is, Connor’s good for the business. I don’t know if it’s his celebrity, or—” she pauses, her eyes scanning both of us with unsaid thoughts, “or if he’s just very good with kids, but his judo classes brought in a lot of money, and they have the highest return student rates. The promo codes from the flyers he helped design were also the most popular. There’s no two ways about it—you make a good team.”
“Look,” Connor says, leaning forward, broad arms on either side of his plate, “I love working with those kids, and I’m glad to help out, but the thing is, I don’t want to get too involved. This is Frankie’s business, and she’s worked hard for it. I’m not gonna take it away from her. And I’ve got my own career to grapple with as well, so…”
Jaime sits forward, matching Connor’s demeanor. “I understand what you’re saying. And on her own, Frankie can make this work eventually, maybe even expand someday—but with you, she can make this place a huge success, and it won’t take long.”
Connor looks down, but only for a second. That’s all it takes for him to make up his mind. When he raises his eyes to mine again, they’re filled with so much dedication and determination that I know he’ll agree, and I can feel my entire chest expand with warmth.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy,” he says, pressing his palm against the side of my cheek. He looks back at Jaime. “It’s a deal.
“Wait,” I say. “You’re an MMA fighter! The belt-holder! You’ve got a whole career to think about. You’ll probably be on the road a lot, and you’ve got your training, and—”
“I’m a man,” Connor says. “And there’s more to me than just fighting…you should know, you taught me that. I’m ready to do this. All you have to do is say yes.”
I look from Connor to Jaime, two sets of eyes focused on me, intent and waiting. This is where it all leads; the proud girl accepting help from people she loves. I take a deep breath.
“Ok,” I say, watching their smiles break out across the table. “Deal.”
Connor laughs and brings me in for a kiss, while Jaime says, “Good. Then I’m going to give Scott a call and tell him the news so he can get the ball rolling on our offer to your landlord. Why don’t you two look over the agreement papers in the meantime?”
She slides a few typed pages toward me and then heads off with her phone. Connor keeps me close when our lips break apart, his hand on
the back of my neck, near enough to see the flecks in each other’s eyes.
“Amazing what happens when you don’t give up,” he says.
I laugh. “Are you saying that as a fighter?”
“As a business partner.”
“Another ‘alpha male’ secret, huh?”
“Maybe I should write a book,” Connor laughs.
I shake my head, but I can’t stop smiling. “Sure. And what would it be about?”
Unlike his usual quick witted, smooth-talking self, Connor actually takes some time to think about his answer, gazing off with a distant look in his eyes as he considers it. After a moment he looks back at me, eyes soft but confident in the sexiest possible way.
“How even an alpha male isn’t complete until he finds a woman his equal,” he says, slowly, before leaning in once again to kiss me like the end of something, and the start of something beautifully, magnificently new.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank all of JD Hawkins Exclusive Cult sister-wives for your tremendous support. I have learned a lot (and am still learning) from your openness and your enthusiastic participation in my polls. And a huge special thank you to Jackie Barnett, who messaged me with an idea when she heard I was planning to write an MMA fighter book. I loved Jackie's idea (which was to have a hippie yoga teacher as the female heroine) and based much of the story on it.
Finally, again, thank you to my wife, Mrs. JD Hawkins, for putting up with me while I wrote this book and immersed myself in an over the top alpha male character and behavior.
About the Author
JD grew up in Southern California and now lives with his wife in Venice, CA. JD loves to travel and enjoys surfing, training in MMA and riding motorcycles.
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