by T M Kelly
“Hey, sunshine,” Lily yelled from behind me as I walked into the front entrance of the airport. The moment I turned toward her, something caught my attention just to the right in my peripheral vision. It was a man that looked an awful lot like my oldest brother. I quickly looked toward the man in question, but somehow he disappeared. Lily placed her hand on my shoulder. “You okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I looked over in the direction where I could have sworn Mason was just standing, but still no one was there. “Just thought I saw someone.”
“Story of my life.” She laughed. “I mean, after the Mom stuff.”
Lily’s story about her mom was like watching an action movie as she told me every detail several months ago. The fact that her mom was messed up in the mob world didn’t seem possible. I totally understood what she was saying, because for her, she probably always looked behind her and around every corner. Somehow we both became best friends and then acquired the same damn life but with a slightly different timeline. Well, minus the mob boss part.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “You’re safe love, and besides, Julian would kick ass if anyone tried to mess with you now.”
“Whose ass am I kicking?” Julian stepped beside Lily.
“No one, babe,” Lily reassured. “Let’s get through security before our plane decides to take off without us.”
“Chuck would be pissed if that happened,” I said and pulled my driver’s license and boarding pass out for security to check.
“Especially because we all are on the same flight,” Zoe teased from behind me.
“Zoe.” I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I got a little worried you weren’t going to make it.”
“Nah, I’m always late but not that late.”
I glanced around at the six of us, that included myself, Lily, Zoe, Julian, Brooks, and Tyler. Brooks told me that since Tyler was part owner of Fight It Out, he wanted to be a part of this event. I loved how Zoe, Lily, and I were about to take it to the next level in our careers. Well, technically Zoe had already been in AFC for several years and had the strawweight championship belt taken from her in the last fight. It was a fight she made clear we could not discuss…ever.
“Well, let’s do this,” I said and started walking in the maze that was the security line. I was the only one that got checked from head to toe. Plus my bag got the special pat down. They were all waiting for me by a bench. “Seriously, how am I the only one that got the special attention?”
“You’re just too damn sexy, girl,” Lily teased, flipping a lock of my hair up in the air.
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes and headed down the hallway leading to our terminal.
There was a store with tons of items that had the Las Vegas logo plastered in every which way. Again, there was someone who looked familiar lurking by a table in the store. The guy had a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes and was looking down. I could’ve sworn it was Mason or damn, my brother had an amazing doppelgänger.
“Hey, Lily.” I reached for her hand. “Don’t be obvious when looking, but the guy in a black baseball cap right in the front of the store.”
“Yeah?”
“Does he look like Mason or am I just seeing things?”
She stopped for a split second and then resumed walking. “It’s hard to tell. Why would Mason be here?”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. It’s the second time I have seen that guy lurking about.”
Lily squeezed my hand. “I bet your mind is playing tricks on you. Mason would hate Las Vegas.”
“True.”
She was right, my brother would never step foot in this town. It had too much flash and flare for him. Plus, he would find it too dirty for his taste. Whatever that meant. Mason was worse than my father when it came to money, power, and looks. Which was why he loved my dad and his company so much.
There were several seats unoccupied all in a row. We all plopped down and waited for boarding to begin. I pulled out my book and pretended to read. Every time I read the first line, my mind would wander to my brother. Several times I looked back, expecting to see him. A little part of me wondered if my mind really was playing tricks on me. Words my father said to me so long ago still rang loudly in my ears: We’ll see about that. Did he plan to take my money? I really didn’t know how that was possible, but I never put anything past my dad. When he wanted a company, he bought it out. He was heartless and ruthless.
If he wanted my money that bad, he would find a way to get it.
7
“What would you like to drink?” the flight attendant asked me.
I pulled out my earbuds. “Do you have sparkling water?”
“I have some seltzer.”
“Nah, just a water will be wonderful.” Pulling the table down from the seat in front of me, I reached for my drink. “Thank you.”
The flight was going to be twelve hours, so we all settled in for the long trip. I was in the aisle seat with my pillow resting on Brooks’s shoulder. Tyler was next to the window, but I noticed every so often, he would glance up at where Zoe sat by the window in front of him. Did they have a thing? Zoe and I were not that close, and Tyler rarely shared anything about his life outside of the gym.
I pulled Brooks closer so I could whisper in his ear. “Are Tyler and Zoe together?”
He glanced over at his brother and back at me. “Um, not that I know of. Why?”
“Just my woman’s intuition talking.”
“I can’t see him with someone like her.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said a little too loudly, causing heads to turn in our direction. “I mean”—he smiled to distract from my outburst—“she’s fantastic.”
“I was saying that more for Tyler,” he reassured. “I’m sure Zoe’s wonderful.”
“Sorry, that caught me by surprise.”
“I see that.” He winked and leaned closer. “So what did you bring to wear at night?”
“Nothing. Was I supposed to bring something?” He started to move around in the seat. “You okay?” Glancing down, I noticed he had an erection. “Wow, really?” I could say the simplest thing, and he would get all hot and bothered. It was actually sexy as hell. Suddenly I had an idea. “Hey, curious about if the bathrooms can really fit two people?”
Brooks’s eyes went wide. “I don’t think it’s even possible.”
“Have you tried it?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
“Well, since it’s a tight fit with just me in the small space…” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Okay, don’t say I didn’t offer.” I placed my ear buds back in and started to scroll my playlists. Suddenly my one ear bud was yanked out. “What the—” I glanced over at Brooks. His face was telling. “Oh, did you change your mind?”
“Maybe.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m going to regret this because my brothers will never let me live this one down.”
“They’ll be jealous they didn’t join the club.” My comment caused him to smile. The moment he slid his hand in between my thighs, I had to squeeze my lady parts together tightly. With all this talk about sex, I was horny as hell. “I’ll go first. You wait a minute and then join me.”
He sighed and finally gave in. “Which one?”
I looked back to check if anyone was waiting to get in a bathroom. “The one on the right.” Seemed like the best option…hopefully. I placed my phone and ear buds in the pouch in the seat in front of me. A part of me was wondering what I was doing. This was crazy. No one gets away with this shit, right?
Somehow I lucked out and the bathroom on the right was unoccupied. I sat down to use the potty really fast. Just as I finished, there was a light knock on the door. Unlocking it, I quickly stepped back so Brooks could squeeze in with me.
“I can’t believe I agreed to this.”
“I’m extremely turned on by the fact that you
did.”
He turned my body in a circle so my back was facing the door. Then he sat down on the lid for the toilet. With this setup we had more than enough space.
“This won’t be sexy, baby.”
“Why not?”
“Well for one, I’m sitting on a toilet.”
“Just wait till you’re sitting on a toilet fully exposed. That will be fucking sexy.”
“One can only hope.” He circled his hands around my waist and pulled me forward. “Why do I let you talk me into this shit?”
“Because you can’t get enough of me.”
He pulled me down and had me straddle his legs. “That is one hundred percent true.”
“Foreplay may be out until we are on dry land.” I glanced around. “Having my head inches from the toilet—”
“Oh shit no, we’ll have plenty of time for that in the U.K.”
I leaned my body back slightly while he pushed out a few inches, making it easier to unbutton and unzip his jeans. It took all the strength I had available to not lean down and take him into my mouth. Touching Brooks in that way was something I loved. Instead, I cupped his balls with one hand and stroked the whole length of him with my other hand. He was beautiful, and I loved looking at every part of his body.
Letting go for just a moment, I stood and slid my leggings off. Then without words, I sat back down, but this time he eased inside me as I let my body fall slowly onto his lap. I clamped my hand over my mouth to drown out the moans escaping my lips. Reaching down in between us, I made small circular motions over myself in need of a serious release.
“Let me, baby.” Brooks reached down and took over for me.
I had to increase our movements because my body was lighting up from the inside and outside. Brooks usually told me I was like a cat in heat with how much I craved his body. Just as I was about to lean forward and kiss him, there was a knock at the door. My eyes went wide and we both struggled to hold in a laugh.
“Everything okay in there,” a woman’s voice said.
“Yes,” I said with a shaky voice. “I’ll be out in a minute.” I let my head fall onto his forehead. “Oh, my God, right at the good part, too.”
“What? This good part?” Brooks said, forcing my body to move up and down while he continued to move his thumb perfectly.
“Oh fuck, yeah, that.” I leaned forward and kissed him, hoping that would drown out the sounds of my moans. Then he had me move faster which forced me to cover my mouth again. I pulled my shirt and bra up giving him access to my nipples. I needed more. The moment he bit down on my one nipple it sent me over the edge. I held my hand tight over my mouth while letting myself enjoy a mind-blowing orgasm in a fucking airplane bathroom.
Brooks was a keeper for sure.
We both cleaned up quickly. “I will go out first. You follow a minute later.”
“You know everyone knows what we are doing in here, right?”
“Yeah, but I don’t care.”
He tugged me close. “I don’t either. Plus, now it makes the next seven hours that much better.”
I opened the door to Lily standing directly in front of me. “Oh, hey,” I said a little confused.
“You are a naughty girl,” she teased. “Hurry, get out the both of you before someone else freaks out.”
“But—”
“Just go,” she said, shoving me toward my seat.
Before I sat down, I looked back to find Brooks a few rows away, so I waited until he was able to sit down and then joined him. “Someone complained?”
“Well, you are loud.”
I swatted at his arm. “Shut up.”
Lily fell into my lap. “Holy shit, I want to be a part of the mile-high club.”
Julian was in the seat directly in front of me. “Nope, not going to happen.”
Lily and I both pushed at his seat and said at the same time. “You’re no fun.”
He stood up and looked down at us. “Oh, I’m fun. Getting stuck in an airplane bathroom is something altogether different.”
Julian was bulkier than Brooks, so he was on to something. Turning my head toward Brooks, I lifted my hand for a high five. “Welcome to the club, Hollywood. We need to get a pin made or something.”
“Or we should get an award.”
“What for surviving in a teeny tiny space while you were still able to rock my world?”
Lily hopped up and covered her ears. “I’m out.”
I circled my hand around Brooks’s neck and kissed him. “You did rock my world.” He only rested his head on my forehead.
I was a lucky woman.
8
“Ohhhh, duty free store. Let’s go in.” Lily tugged at my arm.
“What do we need from in here?” I glanced around, trying to figure out what I would want to buy.
“Booze. Perfume. Jewelry. Tons of shit,” she said.
Lily continued to tug me all over the store. As we passed a display with sex toys, I stopped. “Well, this is a good indication we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
“Do you need something?”
“What? Me? Fuck no. Brooks does all the work of those toys but better.”
“Are we discussing our sex life again,” Brooks said and walked up beside me.
“Maybe.” I pushed at his chest. “You love it. Admit it.”
Lily groaned and walked over to where all the booze was being displayed.
I turned to face Brooks. “Want something for our two-week trip?”
He held up a bikini. “Yeah, you need this.”
“I have six packed. You know that, right?”
“But look, it’s see-through and string bikini bottom.”
“I need to buy this so you can enjoy me in it.”
“Pretty much.”
We all were at the register, paying for our items when two men walked in, glanced my way, and then headed to the back of the store. I was a fighter and my name was tossed around on social media. The way they looked at me was eerie, but some men were just dirty. Brushing off the weird feelings, I paid for the bikini.
“Hey.” I held up my bag. “Why did I have to pay for something you technically wanted?”
“Um—”
“Oh, Hollywood, what am I going to do with you?”
“Parade around in all your bikinis all day long.”
We planned to hit all the beaches on the southern coast of the U.K. So wearing a bikini twenty-four hours a day could easily be arranged. I pulled the bag close to my chest and wrapped my body around Brooks. “I can’t wait for this trip to officially begin.”
Our shuttle took us to the hotel. We grabbed a cart that fit all our luggage together. We had four rooms all on the same floor, so we made our way up to the sixteenth floor and started to unload the suitcases and bags at each door.
“Should we meet around six for dinner or are you all too tired?” I asked, waiting for Brooks to unlock our room. Everyone passed on dinner, which meant Brooks and I were on our own already. The moment we stepped foot into the large open space, the phone rang. I ran over to answer it. “Hello.”
“You have a fight in five days. You ready?” It was Chuck.
“Let me get some shut-eye and then ask me again.”
“Did you all have a good flight?”
“Yeah, I think it was.”
“Good, I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll be there for your training sessions.”
Chuck had let me know he planned to stay close to me. He knew Lily and Zoe could handle everything on their own with their trainers. Since I was new to the playing field, he wanted to give me extra special attention.
“Sounds good. See you then.” I hung up the phone and fell back on the bed. “We’re in Liverpool, and yet all I want to do is sleep.”
“Let’s get room service first, then sleep second.”
“I could be talked into that.” I ran over to where the menu was resting on a large mahogany desk. Glancing at the items listed, I suddenly craved their roasted lamb
with Yorkshire pudding, carrots and onions. “I know what I want.” I handed the menu over to Brooks. “Oh, add a slice of banoffee pie, too!”
“You can’t have desert.”
“But we can share it.”
“Um, I guess.”
I kissed his nose and walked over to the sliding glass door for our balcony. There were two lounge chairs off to the side and a small table. Resting my arms on the railing, I let myself soak in the surroundings. There were several newer buildings scattered around older buildings. Personally, I loved the older buildings because they had so much character. Cars honked their horns, and we could hear people yelling all the way up to the sixteenth floor. The moment warm arms wrapped around my body, I sighed.
This was like a dream come true, and it had only just begun.
9
Five days later…
“You ready?” Brooks grabbed my hands that were already taped up.
“More than ready.” I stepped away to move my hips side to side while throwing a few punches. The last five days were not a vacation. I trained for at least ten hours each day, ensuring I stayed within my weight requirement or below one hundred and twenty-five pounds. I was at one hundred twenty-four pounds, so basically right on target.
Chuck stepped into the locker room. “Since Amber didn’t meet her weight, which was my official call, if she wins, you will get thirty percent of her winnings.”
“Not a factor because I plan to win.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” He nodded and left the room.
“Okay, so this fight is yours, Charlie.” Brooks had punch mitts on ready for me to practice.
I didn’t hesitate and started laying one punch after another, gearing up for the event. There were suspicions in the fighting community that some fighters purposely didn’t meet weight, so they could be bigger and stronger against their opponent. To me that was cheating. Meeting my weight was extremely important, which was why the flyweight division was the perfect place for my body type.
Dropping my hands, I shook my head. “Have I mentioned how much I hate cheaters?”
