by Claire Adams
He paused to talk to the guy who whistled at him, and he signed the guy's ticket stub. He already had quite the fan base, and it was really cool to see. I liked that he stopped to acknowledge his fans, but I noticed my heart started to beat faster as he made his way through the rest of the people and over to me.
“Hey, I was hoping you would stick around,” he said with a smile.
My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. It was pounding so hard. I quickly realized I had been staring. I cleared my throat and stood up.
“I figured it would be rude if I just left without at least saying congratulations. So, congratulations!” I said. I hated how nervous I sounded. My voice was shaking, and I hoped he didn’t notice.
“Thanks. Did you have fun?” he asked.
I crinkled my nose. “To be honest, I was a little scared the whole time.” I felt silly for admitting this. Especially after the way Ally teased me for it.
Justin laughed, and I felt a little better. “Oh really? Why’s that?” There was a playfulness in his voice. I thought he might be flirting, but I didn’t want to read too much into it.
I shrugged and said, “I didn’t know how it was going to turn out.”
I turned to Ally, who was patiently waiting for me to introduce her and felt a little rude for not doing it sooner.
“Oh! Justin, this is my sister, Ally,” I said, pointing to her. “Ally, this is Justin.”
“Nice fight. Congrats on your win,” Ally said as she held her hand out to him. I kept my fingers crossed that she wasn’t going to say anything to him about her suspicions.
Justin shook her hand and said, “Thanks. Nice to meet you, Ally.”
“You too,” she said. “Sorry about my sister’s nerves. She was sheltered as a child.”
I elbowed Ally in the ribs. I didn’t know why she felt compelled to embarrass me every chance she got. That should have been my job since I was her older sister.
Justin winked at me, and I had to fight the urge to bite my lip. It was hot. A wink, a wink was hot. It was weird that I thought that, but it was true. Almost anything Justin did was hot to me. I wished I could control my libido around him.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he said.
“It was fun,” I said, trying my best to be somewhat normal. “I hope I can come to another one some time.”
“That would be great,” he said, pausing like he was about to say something he might regret. When he spoke again, though, all he said was, “I’m sorry I can’t stay and chat longer, but I have to head home.”
“That’s okay. We need to get home too. Have a good night,” I said.
“You too,” he said. For a moment, I thought he might hug me. Then, he turned his attention to Ally. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You too,” she said. I was relieved when she didn’t add anything else.
“Drive safe,” I said as he started to walk away.
“You too. I’ll see you Monday at my appointment?”
I smiled. “Do you need to change it to tomorrow?” I wondered if he was going to need it, since I was sure he would be sore tomorrow.
“I like to spend Sundays with my daughter. Thank you though.” He smiled, and I had to hold back the question ready to escape my lips.
After he left, Ally elbowed me in the side. “You have it bad. You know that?”
“Let’s go. Traffic is going to be awful,” I said, ignoring her comment completely.
I made my way through the building and out to the parking lot with Ally in tow. She was ogling all the fighters who were making their way toward their cars. I just wanted to get out of there. It was getting late, and I was the one who had to drive. When we finally made it to the car and got inside, I looked at Ally and rolled my eyes.
“What?” she asked innocently.
“You’ve got some drool on your chin,” I teased.
She laughed, and we drove to my house. She was going to stay the night with me so I wouldn’t have to drive her all the way home, thank goodness. She lived on the other side of town, and it would have been a bigger pain in the ass to try to fight my way to her house and then back to mine.
“Thanks for taking me with you, sis. I think we had some quality sister bonding time,” she said as I pulled into my driveway thirty minutes later. The car ride had been mostly just listening to music and her talking about how hot all the fighters were.
“You’re welcome, even though you were a pain in my ass. I really thought you were going to say something to him.” I put the car in park and turned the ignition off.
“What would I tell him?” she asked, pretending like she had no idea what I was referring to you.
“You really are a pain in my ass, you know that?” I got out of the car, and she followed me.
“Yeah. But you love me.”
“Only because I have to.”
I got her set up in the spare bedroom and turned in for the night. I just wanted to go lay in bed and not have to deal with her asking me questions about how I felt about Justin. She was a good person and had been there for me through a lot of bullshit, but she was also really good at pushing my buttons.
We looked similar, but we were total opposites. She was confident and loud and knew what she wanted from life. She was a free spirit. I tried to be like her so many times before, but it was hard. Even though I was confident most of the time and I mostly knew what I wanted out of life (especially career wise), I didn’t know how to be free-spirited. I didn’t know how to just let go and shout my feelings out for the whole world to hear. Maybe that just came with the territory of being a business owner.
I fell asleep that night thinking about Justin’s fight. I thought about the way his chest looked with sweat glistening on his skin. I remembered the way he smiled at me when he first walked into the cage. My stomach fluttered just like it did at the arena. As I fell asleep, my thoughts drifted into dreams.
Chapter Three
Justin
I woke up the next morning to Margie climbing into my bed like she did almost every morning. She called it “morning snuggle time.” It was my favorite part of the day because I knew her interest in daddy-daughter time would fade as she got older.
She was in bed when I got home after the fight. My mom watched her for me, so I hadn’t been able to talk to her and tell her how the fight went.
“How was your fight, Daddy?” she asked as she scooted a little closer to me. I winced as I put my arm around her, and she gasped. Worry crept onto her young face. “Are you okay, Daddy?”
“I’m okay, sweetie. I’m just a little sore. I won my fight, though!”
“Yay! I just knew you could do it,” she said brightly. She threw her arms gently around my neck so she wouldn’t hurt me. I grinned and hugged her back. No matter what, she has always been my biggest supporter and my biggest fan.
We snuggled together for another ten minutes. She told me about how much fun she had with grandma the night before and that she wished grandma lived with us. I laughed at that because I wasn’t so sure my mother would like that very much.
“I love you to the moon and back,” I told Margie softly.
“I love you to the moon and back too, Daddy!” She loved when I told her this, and I tried to say it to her every single day.
“Are you hungry?” I asked her.
She nodded her head enthusiastically as if she hadn’t eaten in days. “Can I have cereal today?”
“Why not?” I said and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. We climbed out of bed, and I followed her into the kitchen. I found a half-full box of Lucky Charms in the pantry.
I usually tried to make her eat healthy, but sometimes I let her have some cereal or frozen waffles. She loved these breakfasts the most.
I grabbed her favorite pink bowl with the straw attached, poured in some cereal and milk, and grabbed a spoon. Margie was already sitting on the couch with the remote in her hands. She flipped through the channels until she found ca
rtoons. I handed her the bowl of Lucky Charms, and she smiled happily as she ate.
It amazed me how quickly she learned to master technology. Some things I still struggled with, but Margie could always show me what I was doing wrong. She was only four, but she was incredibly smart for her age. I knew her mom would have been just as proud of her as I was. It broke my heart that she wasn’t around to see our girl grow up.
“I have to run some errands today, so you’ll spend the day with Grandma, okay?” My mom was great; she was willing to watch Margie anytime I needed her to. Sometimes my neighbor, Tiffany, watched her for me, but I didn’t want to put that responsibility on her too often.
“Okay, Daddy,” she said. I could tell she was excited. She loved to spend time with her grandma.
I grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl on the kitchen island and brought it to her. Despite letting her eat sugary cereal, I still wanted her to have some nutrients with her breakfast. I made myself a chocolate protein shake and downed it quickly. I needed to replace everything I burned the night before.
“Did you hurt the other guy, Daddy?” she asked me this question after every fight. She was very concerned with everyone’s wellbeing, and I loved that about her. She was caring and constantly worried about others. I hoped she would hold onto that trait throughout her life.
“No. He wasn’t hurt.” It was a lie. It had taken the guy a little bit to get up, and when we shook hands, he seemed to be in a lot of pain. That wasn’t something I was going to tell my four-year-old daughter, though. I didn’t want her to ever be afraid of me. She didn’t really understand how my career worked, and it would be a while before she did.
We talked about her cartoons as she finished her breakfast. She was a talkative little girl. Unless she didn’t trust you. She was hesitant around strangers, and her intuition was almost always right. I loved that about her, because it meant she would never trust the wrong people.
My mom showed up an hour after breakfast.
“Thanks for watching her again. I should only be a few hours,” I said as I gave my mom a hug.
“I don’t mind at all. You know that. I love spending time with my little girl,” she said before pulling Margie in for a big hug.
I loved watching them together. Other than my mom, Margie didn’t have many female role models, which made me sad to think about. I wanted her to grow up with a strong female role model in her life. I knew it helped her to spend time with my mom, but I still felt guilty that she didn’t have a mother.
My mom and Margie left, and I hurried to take a shower. I was sore from the fight the night before, so I turned the shower on as hot as it would go. It usually helped my aching muscles until I could get to my appointment with Anna.
That girl was so good with her hands. She worked her magic on me every time, and it was no wonder I kept seeing her. No one had ever been able to work through my knots like Anna. All the tension faded from my body the second her hands touched my skin.
I instantly got hard every time I thought of her. I hadn’t been with a woman since my wife died, so it didn’t take much to make me hard. I thought about Anna as I stripped down and stepped into the shower. She had the perfect body, with all the right curves in all the right places.
Her dark hair and dark eyes were alluring to me. She wasn’t a bottle blonde, and I loved that. In a world where everyone was trying to meet the same definition of beautiful, Anna stood out. She was different, unique.
The more I thought about her, the harder I became, and I started to stroke myself. Just thinking about her being at the fight last night was driving me crazy. She looked amazing in her little white t-shirt and fitted jeans. I wanted to see what was under those clothes.
I pictured myself leading her into the cage and kissing her. Feeling her mouth on mine, our tongues moving. Then I imagined removing her clothes and fucking her. Feeling how wet her pussy got.
Within a few minutes and a few hard strokes, I was coming in the shower. It was amazing. But I found myself wishing I could really be with her. I wanted to show her a good time. I wanted to learn the curves of her body with my hands, not just my eyes.
I stepped out of the shower feeling more relaxed than I had when I woke up that morning. I got dressed and made my way to Markie’s hangout.
I had to meet him today to discuss some betting options. On myself. I needed the extra money, and I knew I was a good fighter. By betting on myself, I would win the fight and earn even more money from the bets. Hopefully it would be enough to knock down all the medical bills. I needed some sort of a break to get financially ahead.
His hangout was right by the gym where I trained, and I didn’t really want people to see me go inside. The fighting community knew about him. They knew where he hung out. I didn’t think anyone would really care, but I still didn’t need or want any rumors flying around about me. When I left my house, I made sure to put on a baggy hoody and pull a hat over my head. It wasn’t much of a disguise, but this way no one would recognize me with a passing glance.
I looked around in case anyone I knew was in the vicinity. When I didn’t recognize anyone, I walked into the bar. It was smoky and dark like always. I spotted Markie sitting in a corner booth. I walked over to him quickly. When I greeted him, he just sort of grunted at me. It was normal for him to act this way. He was an asshole. He had gained a lot of power around town for being the biggest, baddest asshole. People didn’t particularly like him, but they feared him. That was the only reason why he had so many lackeys with him all the time.
“I want to make a bet,” I said. I waited for him to motion for me to sit down. If he didn’t want me there, his bodyguard would kick me out.
He pointed to the seat across from him, and I sat down. I wasn’t sure what to expect. He could cause some serious hurt in my life if he wanted to, so I knew I had to work him a certain way.
“It’s about time Mr. Goody-Good comes over to the dark side. I’ve been tellin’ my guys how much of a badass you’d be if you just dipped your toe into somethin’ real for a change.”
I nodded my head because I didn’t know to say to him at that moment. I wasn’t the kind of person to seek out a loan shark for fun. This was serious business to me. If I had the money, there was no way I would be anywhere near him. Ever.
He rested his cigar in the ashtray and leaned over the table. He folded his hands in front of him and looked me up and down slowly. When he finally spoke, he asked, “What kind of bet are you lookin’ to make?”
He had one gold tooth that shone when the light hit it. I think he got it to make himself look tougher, but I thought it made him look like a phony. I didn’t dare say that aloud, though. Not there. Not in his place of business.
I looked him in the eyes to let him know I was serious about this and that I was not going to back down. He wouldn’t loan me the money if he sensed even a small amount of fear.
“I want to bet on myself for my next fight.”
Markie’s eyes lit up with excitement, and his lips spread across his face with a sadistic grin. “Careful—you don’t wanna get cocky.” He nudged his bodyguard, who snorted lamely. I looked at the bodyguard and wondered why someone would want to live their life surrounded by fake affection. The guy was clearly only into Markie for the power and money. I could tell he didn’t really think his boss was funny.
I leaned in a little bit. I didn’t want to seem like I was backing down. I stared Markie down for a few seconds. I didn’t blink. I didn’t turn away.
“I’m serious, Markie. I can win. I know I will, but I really need the extra money right now. I’ve got old bills piled up so high I can barely see straight. I’m sick of it. Something’s gotta give.”
I really needed for him to take me seriously because if he didn’t, who knew what would happen to me. This place was full of Markie’s minions. They would have me out on my ass in a second if Markie gave the word.
“You know it’s gonna cost you a pretty penny, right?” he asked.
> “Yeah. That’s why I was hoping I could get a loan from you,” I said. My voice was firm, confident.
Markie laughed and picked his cigar back up. He took a long puff and blew it at me. I thought it was rude, but I knew better than to say anything. “You know what happens when people don’t pay me back, right?”
I tried not to show how nervous I was. I knew exactly what happened when someone flaked on Markie. They got hurt. Badly. Sometimes they lost their house. Sometimes they lost a finger. Sometimes worse.
“Yeah, I know,” I said with a confident nod.
“It’ll be a pretty penny. Ten grand is the lowest I go.”
“I’ll take it,” I said quickly. I didn’t need to think twice about it.
“Alright. You understand that if you don’t pay me back, I’ll come after everything you own and everything you love.”
“Yes,” I said without breaking eye contact. I held out my hand. We shook on it, and I excused myself. I heard him laughing as I left the bar.
When I stepped back outside, I made sure to cover my head again. I went right home and thought about the decision I’d just made. It worried me more than I wanted to admit. I did have a daughter, and he was great at threatening families. Still, I knew I could do it. I’d be able to pay off all the back bills, win my fight, and pay Markie back. There wouldn’t be anything for me to worry about after Wednesday. I pushed the sick feeling down and cleared my head. I didn’t want to think about what could happen.
I let my mom know I was back from running my errands, and she returned with Margie twenty minutes later.
“Daddy! Grandma took me to the play area in the mall! I met a little girl named Lily, and we played together the whole time!” she said as she wrapped her little arms around me.
“That’s awesome, baby,” I said and held her close. I was determined to make her proud of me and to give her an amazing life. She would have everything her heart desired.
