by Ashley Hall
If I didn’t find a way, I was totally and completely screwed.
Griffin
She was nervous as hell. That much was obvious the minute she started talking.
I might not be the most gentlemanly character around, but I knew my fair share about women. I’d been with more of them than I could count and by that time in my life, I was used to them clamoring after me as if their life depended on worshipping my cock.
I could immediately tell that Sadie wasn’t the type.
The way she held herself – ramrod straight, as if someone was holding a forty-five millimeter at the base of her spine – I didn’t think I’d ever seen a woman so tense. Up close, it was even more obvious that she wore that huge excuse for a dress to hide her assets – which were plentiful. She did everything possible to make herself seem less appealing – and that little detail spoke volumes.
This woman obviously had no idea how much power she could have over a man. I wondered if anyone had ever picked her up and tossed her onto a bed. Demanded that she not say a word as they fucked her into a near coma – until she was utterly exhausted and deliciously sore. No, little Sadie Warner wasn’t the type that liked to be tossed around.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the men she dated asked her permission before they kissed her. They probably bowed and scraped and bored her with academic bullshit as they missionary-positioned her to sleep.
She needed to relax – and by that, I meant the utter and complete relaxation that came from total exhaustion. I wanted to see that sleepy smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep, her world utterly blown.
But that would obviously be easier said than done. The moment Ross left and she realized that we were relatively alone, she went a whole lot stiffer.
She was afraid. I could all but smell the fear rolling off of her and it made every muscle in my upper body tense. Was it because she’d seen me fight – because she knew about my track record? Or was it something else entirely?
From where she was standing, I knew that I was probably the last candidate on her list of bed-partners. Bringing someone like me home would shock and disappoint her parents – I’d chew with my mouth open and finger that sweet little pussy of hers under the table. What was it, I wondered, that made me so suddenly hot over this girl?
She was fire, for sure, but I’d dated models, prima ballerinas and the like. I’d never been so instantly, intensely drawn to a woman.
I wanted to corrupt the hell out of her. Put her in skimpy dresses and heels and let her ride my cock until she loosened up a little bit. Until she begged for it.
But she seemed focused on the task at hand – that damn interview. She was trying to be frosty – tossing her head and rolling her eyes when I spoke – but that was all a front. I could clearly see the way her slender fingers trembled slightly – the way her tongue darted out to wet her lips. She thought she was smarter than me.
And hell, she probably was. I had no problem admitting that. I barely finished high school, and I wasn’t winning any awards for academic achievement. Little Ms. Warner fairly oozed Ivy League appeal. Every other word that came out of her mouth was straight from the most obscure corners of Webster.
But she wasn’t fooling me.
I liked the fear that emanated from her. I reveled in it because it let me know just where we stood. It might take me a few tries, but if I wanted Sadie Warner, I could have her.
And she didn’t even know it yet.
So, of course, I wasn’t going to do the damn interview just then. I was busy, and atop that, the gym certainly wasn’t a place where I could make her scream. When I told her no, the look on her face was priceless – both disbelief and sudden panic, as if I had suddenly yanked the carpet out from under her.
By the time I was done with Sadie, she was going to know exactly who was in charge here.
“Are you saying you won’t do it?” Goddamn, she was cute all puffed up and offended. Her brown eyes narrowed as she glared at me in irritation. “You promised The Grind a story. Are you going back on your word?”
She had no idea how much I wanted to jerk her to her knees and fill that pretty mouth with my cock.
But that would come later…and I could be patient.
“Not going back on my word,” I replied casually, hiding my smile. “Just rescheduling. I’m busy, Sadie, and I don’t think you want to be chasing me around a ring.”
Her mouth pursed in disappointment. “The publication is due out at the end of this week. How long do you plan on taking?”
Usually, it annoyed the shit out of me when women got demanding. They usually didn’t have a leg to stand on, and they wanted money, flowers, nice shoes – some shit like that. It was around that time that I ended up kicking them out.
But this was different. It was clear that Sadie wasn’t going to let this go – she really thought I wasn’t going to give her the interview, and her delectable ass wasn’t having it.
Fuck, she was hot.
“I’m on a tight training schedule.” I shot back, swallowing past the lump of lust that rose in my throat. “I’ll be here until this evening.” She started to protest, but I cut her off. “After I clean up a little bit, I can take you to dinner. You can ask all the questions your little heart desires.”
The immediate shock on her face was almost enough to make me hard on the spot. She didn’t want to be alone with me – but it was going to happen.
There was no other way she was getting her precious interview – I’d make sure of that.
“I…I’m not going to dinner with you!” Her answer wasn’t quite as articulate as she’d been with me just a few minutes before. Poor Sadie. It seemed the cat had her tongue - and very soon, I would too. “Why can’t we do it somewhere else?”
“Like where?” I asked, amused. “Out on the sidewalk? In a public park after dark? Let me take you out, Sadie. I promise I’ll be on my very best behavior.”
I almost felt guilty for lying – almost.
I could see the gears in her head turning – she’d been backed into a corner and she didn’t like it. Her slender form was fairly trembling with anger. But if she was as smart as she appeared to be, Sadie wouldn’t refuse me. She had more guts than that.
She hesitated for maybe a minute before I saw a determined light shine in her eyes. Setting her jaw, she gazed up at me sternly, her hands going to her hips. “Fine.” She finally barked, clearly unhappy about it. “But I can’t give you my whole evening. I’ll have material to edit.”
This woman was just aching for a good spanking. I wondered what would happen if I laid her over my knee right in the middle of the gym.
“Fine by me. Where should I pick you up?”
She flushed slightly. “You can come to The Grind office. I get off around six.”
If I had anything to do with it, she’d be getting off long after that. “Works for me.” I frowned as I eyed that god-awful dress for what had to be the fifth time in as many minutes. It wasn’t going to do – not for the place I planned to take her. “You should probably change before then.”
Her face flushed even darker than it had before as she glared at me in obvious affront. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
I merely eyed her. I wasn’t the best with words, but I could, at least, try to put this delicately. She was already pissed at me. As much as I liked her angry, I didn’t want her too angry. “We’re going somewhere nice...maybe something a little slinkier?”
For a moment, her mouth moved but she didn’t speak. It was clear that I’d struck a nerve, and I fought a chuckle.
“Just don’t be late!” Sadie finally managed, before turning on her heel to stomp to the edge of the ring. She attempted to crouch under the ropes, only to become tangled in them hopelessly. Though I was tempted to let her keep struggling with that dainty little chin of hers in the air, I had training to get back to. Stepping over to the ropes, I took hold of them, widening the gap so that she could escape.
Sad
ie all but fell onto the floor with a huff, and I cursed under my breath. Her dress had almost – almost hiked up enough for me to see what kind of panties she wore.
But there would be plenty of time for that later. As she sauntered off, I only smirked before glancing around the room looking for Ross. The time had come for him to get his ass beat – and for me to leech some of the hunger from my system. As it was, the only thing that kept me from getting hard right there was my minuscule sense of propriety.
Beating the shit out of Ross would make me feel better – that I knew. The moment I spotted him at a punching bag in the corner, I barked his name and the kid jumped, his gaze rising to me. When I beckoned him, he came without question.
He knew he was in trouble.
Once he reached the side of the ring, my eyes narrowed. “If I ever catch your ass juicing again,” I threatened in a low tone, “I’ll fucking break your back. It would ruin you just as easily.” Ross swallowed thickly, visibly paling. In his own neighborhood, he was king of the hill. He was a good fighter, so none of the thugs that haunted street corners messed with him.
But I had helped make him that way – and he needed to keep his head on straight. “Get up here.” I ordered – and he did so without a single complaint.
He would take his punishment, and if I were lucky, we wouldn’t have this discussion again. It would be a long fucking time before Ross got the drop on me again – or Ivan got the drop on him.
I ended up getting more done that day than I would have imagined. Though it started pretty shittily, I managed to be productive. I kicked Ross’ ass from one end of the ring to the other – so enthusiastically that half the gym was watching by the time it was over.
And then I worked with Riley. The man might be getting up in years, but there was no denying that he had taught me everything I knew. He was closing in on fifty and he could still wipe the floor with me when he wanted. Luckily enough, these days he was less concentrated on his own glory and more focused on giving back.
Riley had always been more about technique and teaching others. Even in his heyday, when he’d been the second most talented fighter in the world, he had trained in a gym just like the one he trained me in. He’d never subscribed to the glitz and glamor that accompanied being a top fighter – preferring to keep to himself and train by himself.
Unlike me, he’d married early, and his wife, Marie, had supported him for his entire career. He had a daughter, somewhere or the other, who had never approved of the brutality he participated in and didn’t speak to him these days.
He still sent her money and cards for every important holiday – just as he visited Marie’s grave every year on the anniversary. While Riley could be just as much a dog as me when it came to the world of women, he always regretted breaking his Marie’s heart – and the way that she died.
Me, I wasn’t built for a wife and kids – and anyway, Riley always told me that things like that were the one true path to heartbreak. I didn’t need to be told twice.
By the time I was dancing around the cage with my trainer, my head was clearer. My shots were clearer – and I knew that I had that upcoming match in the bag. I might not have been undefeated, but the matches I’d lost came early in my career. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had knocked me out when I was ready for them.
Ross hardly counted.
I worked out until I was sore – and until Riley was satisfied that I could turn on a dime. After an entire day in the ring, most fighters would be ready to fall into bed with a drink more alcohol than anything else.
But I was energized. Not that I subscribed to such bullshit, but I almost sang in the shower as I remembered who I had waiting for me later that evening.
Sadie Warner.
The memory of that lithe, lush body of hers was enough to make me stand at attention almost instantly. She was such a mouthy little thing – easily shocked and just as easily offended. I fully intended to rough her up a little bit – show her what she’d been missing.
With a hiss, I wrapped calloused fingers around my erection, leaning against the wall as hot water poured over my back. The heated column jumped in my fist and I began to stroke slowly as I imagined little Sadie’s fingers replacing mine
I’d be willing to bet those pencil-necked intellectuals of hers never asked her to do anything like this. Would she even know to grip a cock? How to stroke it slowly and tease the tip? She wouldn’t have to be all that gentle with me. I could take everything she could dish out and more.
I wanted to see her face – to see the desire in her eyes as she worked me over. And then I would bend her over the nearest available surface and fuck her until she was screaming my name – to show her how a real man made a woman feel.
The thought of that hot little mouth of hers parted in pleasure and her ragged gasps were all it took to send me over the edge.
I came harder than I had in a long time, splattering the dingy tile wall with spurts of white as my hips jerked in sensation.
Jesus Christ. I’d known the woman all of a few hours and already I wanted her so badly it was hard to think straight.
Quickly I rinsed off, wiping evidence of my release from the wall and hosing down the entire stall. I was like a goddamn teenager, rubbing one out in P.E class.
But the relief meant that I would be able to concentrate on impressing Sadie later – and I would have to impress her if I wanted to get anywhere near touching her. I may have been an animal, but I wasn’t a rapist.
When I got back to my locker, I frowned at the sight of the clothes that hung in the far end. Riley had been urging me for years to keep a spare set in my locker for when I was forced to attend evening events. For once, I was glad that I had followed his advice. Saved me a trip home. I pulled on the dark button up and slacks before packing up my stuff.
By the time I left, my shoulders were aching from the day’s workout - a good indicator that I had given it my all. I was in a good mood when I stepped out into the fresh air. After all, I had a date with a beautiful woman to look forward to. That was well worth answering a few questions.
However, once I saw who was waiting for me outside, my good mood evaporated.
I stopped dead once I stepped onto the sidewalk, acid rising from my stomach to make my mouth taste sour. Of course, Ivan would be here. As if my morning hadn’t already been shitty enough.
I turned to face him, my gym bag slung over my shoulder, scowl firmly in place. As always, Ivan rolled in crews five deep, and, this time was no exception. He was accompanied by four of his thugs – all huge and unnecessarily muscled. The muscles made up for what they lacked in brainpower, I knew. Even though I barely had a high school education, I could think circles around these guys. They were there purely for the size of their biceps.
And Ivan wasn’t wrong to have them. If he’d been alone, I would have pummeled him to a pulp and enjoyed every second of it.
“Nice to see you, Griffin. I might think you were avoiding me. All those missed calls.” Despite years stateside, the Russian still sounded like he was fresh off the boat.
“You know damn well what I’m doing,” I shot back, taking him in from head to foot. The man needed a ton of muscle around because he sure as hell couldn’t defend himself. He was a pot-bellied, with graying hair and a mustache that looked like a fireplace had taken a shit on his upper lip. Even now, I couldn’t believe I had ever trusted this guy. “What are you doing here, Ivan? I thought I told you to stay away from this gym.” My eyes narrowed in anger. “And away from Ross.”
The stuff I’d found in the kid's bag couldn’t have come from anyone else. Ivan had this neighborhood on lock and liked to use his goons on whoever didn’t agree with him.
The Russian glared at me, straightening from where he leaned against the building and advancing, along with his entourage.
“You do not tell me what to do, Webb.” He barked. “This is my neighborhood, and as far as I’m concerned, you owe me.”
Oh, f
uck. He was on this again. Ivan tended to think that because I’d been on the 'roids when my career started to take off that he was the reason for my success. The truth was that I got better once I stopped juicing. But, of course, no one could tell Ivan that. He’d been after me to pay him for years, but he’d never get a cent of my hard-earned money.
Not if I could help it.
“Ivan, I don’t have time for this bullshit. I’m not paying you a penny, and the next time I catch you around here, I’m going to call the cops and get your ass deported.”
I knew I’d hit a nerve when two of his bodyguards’ lips curled and they moved forward menacingly. If they wanted to fight, I was more than ready – though it would be a pity that I’d have to get my nice clothes messed up. Ivan caught my eye, his smile thin. “You sure I can’t convince you otherwise?”
