“Are you okay?” her voice echoes.
I close my eyes and start counting. It’s not bad enough to call 911. I’m still comprehending 1-2-3. I just can’t see worth a damn. And my head hurts.
“Tino, I want you to come inside and lay down.” Mia pulls at my hands.
I force my body to roll up and land on my feet in order to I follow her.
She leads me to a bedroom and lays me on the bed.
“Can you turn off the lights?” I ask. The brightness is sending me over the top.
Mia flips on a dim lamp on the nightstand and turns off the overhead lights that are killing me.
I close my eyes again. I’m so tired.
Mia runs her fingers over the side of my face. I turn my head and lean into the soft sensation. “This is real nice, but you don’t have to do that,” I mumble, but really I don’t want her to stop.
“Just hold still and be quiet.” She sits on the bed and pulls my head in her lap, massaging my scalp. “I should’ve listened to the doctor and taken you home to get some rest.”
“You’d stay at my place?” I ask with my eyes still shut.
“No, but I’d bring you back to my place.” She moves her hands down to my neck.
I should be thrilled she’s inviting me to stay at her place, but suddenly I’m starting to panic for no damn reason. “Mia, I feel like hell right now.” My body tightens. “I’m all nervous and shit.”
“You have a concussion. That fight wasn’t your typical seven-second knockout. The guys tell me this might be the first time you’ve been hit so hard in the head.” She rubs down my arms. “Just relax, and focus on your breathing.”
I lie there, and inhale as deep as my bruised ribs will allow. Everything is painful. I just want to pass out, but I can’t get my mind to shut off.
“Do you need a drink of water?” She asks.
I gently shake my head to avoid it from throbbing even worse. I don’t want anything in my body right now. I just want to fall asleep.
Mia slowly works her hands from my arms to my chest. The soft pressing of her hands makes me wonder if anybody has ever taken care of me like this. I don’t open my eyes because I can’t handle the dim light of the lamp on the nightstand. That, and it’s feeling so good I just want to lay there with her touching me. I can’t understand why she would want to treat me so good.
She stops massaging my body and begins to trace the tattoos on my arms.
“Do they bother you?” I keep my eyes closed and focus on the dog that she’s tracing.
“Not at all.” Her voice is soft.
“Would you ever date a guy that looked like this?”
“Of course.”
“I’m just asking because I saw all those dads at Lucky’s school.”
“You do realize with a nickname like that he’s never going to come when I call him Lucas.” She laughs, and I know she’s not upset.
“I just want to know if that’s the kind of guy you want around your kid.” I shift my weight on the bed.
“I don’t think I’m understanding the question,” she softly speaks.
I open my eyes to make sure she’s really feeling as uncomfortable as I’m picturing this situation in my head. “Those clean-cut, preppy boys. Is that the kind of dad you want for Lucky?”
“I haven’t even thought about it,” she says, holding back a yawn.
“So somebody like me would be the last thing you’d want for a dad for Lucky.”
She slides her hips to the side and barely moves the mattress.
“It ain’t going to hurt my feelings if you tell me the truth.”
“I—I’m afraid to tell you the truth,” she hesitates.
I roll up to my elbows and look at her, but don’t say anything because I want her to continue. She ain’t getting off that easy tonight. The other day I let her dad conversation slip only for the fact it would be rude to pry about her private life. This ain’t private. This is my business.
“Tino, I don’t want to come across as one of those hopeless romantic girls that falls in love with every guy she meets, but these marks are exactly what I want to protect my child.” She runs her fingers over my tattoos. “Here’s the tough part. Are you ready for this?”
I nod.
“I’ve actually thought about this more than I should since we’ve just met and the circumstance probably isn’t right, but I can’t let myself trust a guy that would get his head beat on as he willingly steps into the octagon. I just can’t have Lucas asking about another dad if anything ever happened to you.”
“So that’s your draw.” I raise my right brow. “You don’t want me to fight anymore?”
“I would never ask you to do that. I can see how that’s such a big part of you. It would be like asking me not to be a mother. But it’s not like we have to be talking this serious.” Her laughter is probably trying to lighten the mood.
I lay back down because the room is starting to spin again.
“Why do you have prison bars across your biceps with numbers under them?” She plays at the tattoo she’s talking about.
“It’s a reminder.” I don’t hold back. She needs to know.
“Oh,” she softly gasps.
“I’ve killed a couple of guys.”
“Like on purpose? I mean how does a person do something like that?” Her legs stiffen next to my sides.
“With my hands.”
“Like fighting? Kind of what you were doing tonight?” She leans forward to look me in the eyes. She’s begging for me to make this look like an accident.
“The sport was brand new back then. I wasn’t making much money so I went across the border into Mexico and they paired me with their superstar. The guy had a history of raping little girls so when I got in the ring I just kept hitting him in the head until he stopped breathing. I’d just turned eighteen the week before.”
She’s squeezing my shoulders with her fingernails. I’m sure she doesn’t even realize what she’s doing.
“Mia, you need to know this. I didn’t go in there to fight the guy. I went in there to kill him.” A heavy breath releases from my chest. There it’s out. I’ve said it. “You’re the only person I’ve told this to other than Sully.”
“And the other guy?” Her fingers are still squeezing as though she’s not flattered one little bit.
“He was a well known drug trafficker, and then somebody discovered the drugs were a ploy to cover his sex trafficking business so I went to his house and beat his head until he couldn’t breathe just like the other guy. That’s when I met Sully. I had to get a lawyer and go to trial. I got off on self defense, but everything is sort of complicated right now. I sort of started a business during that time because I couldn’t fight to make money, and now the business is doing really good only I can’t act like it’s doing as well as it is because Sully would slit my throat to get his hands on it. I ain’t as smart as a guy that passed the bar. I’m just a businessman. But none of that matters. I just wanted you to know why they call me The Death Tank.”
She raises her hands to the sides of her head. “Tino, this is freaking me out. Do you lose your temper a lot? I once dated a guy that juiced—”
“Shit, I don’t take steroids,” I interrupt her. “I just want you to know everything about me so it doesn’t ruin things if you ever hear somebody talking shit behind my back.”
“I just don’t want to be in a relationship where I’m always afraid you’re going to hurt me or my son.”
“I would kill the person that ever thought about hurting you or Lucky.” My teeth clench. The intense anger rages through my body and exhausts me. I’m finally fighting that passing out state. “Mia I ain’t tryin’ to ignore you. I’m so tired.”
Her face is full of panic.
“Damn, please just trust me. I’d never hurt you or the kid. Girl, don’t leave me,” I barely get out the last words before my eyes roll to the back of my head.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“H
ow was brunch?” Nikki wanders into the training room.
“It was fine. I didn’t talk to the guy, but he booked another date for his next real estate luncheon.” I pull a brush through my hair and focus on getting ready for my quick round of drinks with a banker that Nikki thinks is a pig. “So how do you hold off on the alcohol if that’s the date?”
“Can you hold your liquor?” she asks.
My eyes widen. “Not really.”
“I’m just kidding.” She laughs. “He’ll make sure to get you Coke shots. He’s been doing this long enough he knows the rules.”
My heart slows. Phew. I’d probably be a crybaby drunk the way I’ve been feeling lately. I miss Tino. I shouldn’t because he’s probably a psychopath steroid freak for all I know. But somehow I can’t get my heart to believe that. It had to be self-defense. Even if it wasn’t for himself it was for all those girls that couldn’t fight for themselves. He was nothing but tender that night I fell asleep in his arms. Sure I snuck out before he woke up, but he would’ve been as sweet as he’s always been. I know it. The tough guy thing is just an act.
Stop it. He hasn’t even called or texted. Don’t think one conversation over him asking what you’re looking for in a dad for Lucas means anything. It’s not like he put a ring on your finger. You don’t even know him. People act stupid when they have head injuries. I just need to leave this alone and focus on work.
“Have you seen this?” Nikki slams a magazine down on the counter, knocking over several cosmetics.
I gasp. “Where did you get this?”
“Did you sleep with him?” She raises her brows.
I grab the magazine and hide it in my shirt.
“She already knows.” Nikki juts her chin to the two-way mirror where Madame X sits on the other side. “I grabbed this copy off her desk when I came in.”
“Is she here?” I quickly stand. I need to explain. “You don’t understand.”
“Oh, I read the article. I think I totally get it.”
“What did they say?” I yank the magazine from under my shirt and rip it open.
“Apparently the guy isn’t gay like they thought he was.” Nikki paints a coat of red polish over her nails. “Now they’re claiming he’s bi.”
“What?” I shake my head.
She blows on the tips of her fingers. “I guess most people in the industry thought he was gay for years until you came along. Mia, he doesn’t date women. There’s not a girl alive that can claim she’s slept with him until now.” Her wicked smile makes me angry. “And now they’re asking anybody to come forward and turn in your glass slipper.”
“I didn’t sleep with him,” I snap. My heart drops at a different thought. All those pictures of Lucky on his shoulders after the fight? I close my eyes. I mean Lucas.
The door slowly creaks open.
A heavy smell of coffee floods the room.
Damn. Madame X is going to flip.
“Mia, can I have you come out here for a minute,” X speaks as though she’s as calm as a sleeping animal at the zoo.
“Sure, I’ll be right out.” I wrap an elastic around my hair and finish by making a messy bun on top of my head.
“Dead meat.” Nikki twists the lid back onto the red polish and fans her hands.
“Thanks for the moral support,” I mumble, wishing she could feel a sliver of the fear flooding my veins as I wander to the front. I don’t have the cash for the fines X is going to give me. Why did I sign that stupid contract? I seriously didn’t sleep with him.
“Sit down,” X commands, rattling around with several papers.
I take a seat in front of her and stare at my feet, focusing on a scuffmark of my left black pump. I’d reach down and wipe it off, but the shoes really aren’t my style. Neither was the real estate meeting. Old, boring, rich people. At least I didn’t screw that up as badly as I did the Tino situation. I knew I shouldn’t have gone to that party. It was never on the schedule. How could you be so stupid? I’m wondering if Isabella has seen the article. She’ll be so disappointed.
“Did you have a good time the other night at the fight?” X asks, looking up from all the paperwork.
“I didn’t sleep with him,” I blurt. I may as not waste time beating around the bush.
She bites on the end of her pen. “But there’s plenty of pictures of you, straddling him in that bed.”
“I had my clothes on!” I shout. “We fell asleep. I swear nothing happened.”
“I don’t pay you to raise your voice to me.” X raises her brows.
“I’m sorry,” I say, rethinking my approach. “He got a concussion after the fight, and the doctor asked me to make sure he got plenty of rest so I went with him to the after party and he freaked out on a guy and I went into the house with him so he could rest. I must’ve fallen asleep and that’s how somebody took our picture.”
“Interesting.” X taps her lips with the pen.
“I can’t lose this job,” I beg.
“No, we wouldn’t want that.” X stands up and paces the floor.
I don’t speak. I’m trying to figure out what she’s thinking. Her spray tan looks super fresh, which means she’s been meeting with plenty of new customers. I’m even wondering if she has on a new outfit. I’ve never seen her wear that jumpsuit. It’s cute enough I would borrow it.
“I’m not sure if I should scold you, or praise you for what you’ve done for my business.” A cruel smile plays at her lips. “I thought Isabella was my golden ticket, but you—” She doesn’t continue.
What?
“Right now I’m trying to figure out how to clone you. I have twenty-seven men that called and left messages this morning to book an appointment with the death tank’s girlfriend.” X bounces on the tips of her toes and nearly trips wearing those tall pair of stilettoes.
My body sinks into the chair. Nothing could hurt worse, other than the stories he shared with me the other night. Even if he thinks they bothered me that bad it doesn’t give him the right to ignore me. I’m not his girlfriend. Can’t she see that? Can’t the world see that? “We’re not dating.” I quickly inform her.
“Oh, but you will play the part.” She drums her fingers together.
“I don’t see how this will help business.” I stand up and move closer to the black and white wallpaper where she’s standing.
“It seems that Tino has many friends that don’t have his particular interests in mind. It’s an ego thing when you can take out his girl without him knowing.” Her face glows of an appetite of self-indulgence. “You have no idea what this will do for my company. Oh, Mia, don’t pretend that you don’t know how men are interesting creatures. I’ve made a fortune off making the idea of a man taking out a virgin worth more than sex. Men have this particular fascination with believing they’re with this innocent young thing. Something about playing head games always seems to make them tick.”
“I can’t do this to him.” My heart is about to explode with so much guilt it will ruin me. “I can’t betray Tino.”
“You don’t have a choice.” She plays with the collar of my white button-up shirt. “This will never do. I need you to put on some little thing that exposes your stomach like Isabella always used to wear.”
I don’t move. “I can’t hurt him.”
“He’ll never know.” She laughs.
“But I will.” My eyes start to burn. There’s probably only seconds left before I start to cry. Hold it together. I fight back the water that wants to fall.
“Have we not had the lesson on shutting off your heart?” Madame X makes a pouty face. “I could swear Nikki told me she had that one with you.”
There is nothing she can do that would make me hurt Tino. He’s everything a man ought to be. I won’t do anything that could hurt him. Even if he has a rocky past, I refuse to destroy his future. I owe it to him to honor his loyalty. The Mercedes in the parking lot should prove that.
“Tino is a good person.” I stand my groun
d. “He doesn’t deserve to be backstabbed by his pussy friends.”
“It seems his mouth has been rubbing off on you.” X rolls her eyes. “The next thing I know you’ll be coming in here with your arms covered in tattoos.”
“You don’t know anything about him.” I shake my head.
“I know he’s just like all the others that come in here because they’re not interested in a relationship.” She grabs my chin with her hands. “Get it through your head. Tino doesn’t want you.”
I know that.
“It still doesn’t make it right to make a fool out of him because nobody has the balls to do it to his face.” I narrow my eyes, glaring at her. “Can’t you see that?”
She wanders back to her desk and takes a seat, collecting the stack of papers she’s had spread out. “I don’t get paid to be a referee. I make my money on the game. Now go get dressed. There’s been a change of plans. You’re going out with a Mr. Chappo tonight.”
A cold chill runs down my spine. “Did you call his references?”
“He’s paid plenty for this date.” She lowers her gaze and marks a few of the pages. “With this kind of money he could be a drug lord for all I care.”
My heart palpitates at an odd rhythm making my chest feel tight. There’s not enough money in the world to put up with her crap. I’m a woman of integrity. I don’t care what she threatens me with, I won’t hurt Tino.
“Did you not hear me the first time?” She peeks up at me still standing in front of her. “We’re done. Go and get ready for your date.”
“I quit.” The words come out slow and dry.
“Pardon me?” She shakes her head.
“You heard me. I quit!” I reach into my pocket and toss my cell phone at her before I spin around and walk out the front door. Nobody will ever make me hurt Tino. You got that Madame X? I don’t care if he’s not interested in me. I refuse to make a fool out of him. The guy has been nothing but gracious to my son and me.
CHAPTER NINE
“B
Pretty Woman: Mia (The Billionaire Bachelor Series Book 2) Page 8
