He followed his manager and trainer into her office. Usually he could count on Daniella Chambers to be the voice of reason, the calm and collected professional. However, this morning he detected a hint of panic in her otherwise business-as-usual tone. His manager hadn’t appeared this worried since she’d found her now husband and Heavyweight World Champion, Jack Brady, blowing off his career for women and booze, threatening to send Stamina, which was her father’s legacy, down the tubes.
It didn’t take her long to right the situation with Jack. So whatever seemed to be the problem, Mike knew the issue wouldn’t last long. He discovered Jack sitting in one of the two guest chairs in front of her desk.
“Morning, bro,” Jack said, lifting his chin in acknowledgement as Mike pushed his way through the office door.
“Sup?” Mike responded, and dropped into the chair beside Jack.
Daniella rounded the desk and took her chair facing them. “I tried to call you, but you’d left. We decided to meet you here.”
Mike switched his glance between Daniella and Jack. “Something wrong?” Clearly something was. He’d spent the last few months training for his upcoming bout with Marlon Littleton, a contender with enough media buzz to make Michael Perez a familiar name on ESPN. He hoped whatever she had to say didn’t have anything to do with cancelling the Littleton fight. He needed this match. His last bout he’d won by TKO—a cut over his opponent’s eye stopped the fight. Since then, good matchups in the Middleweight class had been hard for Daniella to find. It seemed like every promoter wanted the big guys. While Mike had fought Light Heavyweight and sparred with Jack routinely, he didn’t have the bulk or the reach to jump an entire weight class.
“What’s the problem?” Mike asked, breaking the awkward silence.
“Not so much a problem as an opportunity I don’t want you to miss.” Daniella rested her elbow on her desk. “The Las Vegas Times is sending a sports reporter over this morning to do a story on Stamina. With Jack’s title win and your bout scheduled against Littleton, it’s not a surprise the community is gaining interest in us. I want you and Jack to spar for the reporter and the cameras.”
He felt his bottom lip protrude as he nodded. Seemed like a logical step. The boys of Stamina kicked ass and took names. Of course the media demanded coverage. Still, a gnawing feeling chewed at his gut. He didn’t like the idea of some nosy reporter getting too close. What would happen if things came up that he didn’t want anyone to know? While everyone had a skeleton or two in their closet, his past looked more like The Walking Dead.
If the situation was that simple, why did Daniella look so worried?
Mike raised a brow. “So, I need to get dressed to spar? No problem.” He didn’t want to appear disrespectful, but someone needed to let him in on what was behind Daniella and Jack’s nervous glances. “Anything else?” In a second, Mike connected the mental dots. They were referring to a female sports reporter for the Las Vegas Times. His stomach rolled in response. “Are you talking about Ava Phillips?”
Daniella nodded.
Jack leaned forward in his seat. “You probably know more about her than I do. You read her column.”
Ava Phillips. Ava freaking Phillips. Coming here. To his gym. He gave a slight shake of his head. “That woman is a piece of work. She likes to dig up dirt.” Daniella’s brow knitted together as he continued. “She reports scandals in the sports world, sex, money, who fucked over who, things like that. Best we can do is answer her questions and hope she goes the hell away.”
And that explained the exchange of worried expressions, and the note of apprehension in Daniella’s voice. Ava Phillips, the pit viper of sports reporting, was on her way to Stamina. The gym suffered over the last nine months. Since the sudden death of Daniella’s father and gym founder, R. L., money troubles still plagued his manager. The last thing Stamina needed was some bottom feeder reporter digging up dirt on the gym and smearing the reputation they’d worked so hard to restore.
Resentment filled him as he left Daniella’s office and walked to the locker room to grab his gloves. Tension built in his biceps. He hoped Jack was ready for one hell of a workout. He needed to hit something, hard, and with such ferocity only a World Champion could absorb the punch.
He took out his fourteen-ounce gloves and met Jack in the ring. Daniella taped Jack’s hands. In Mike’s usual corner, the assistant trainer and Stamina’s cut man, Abraham Shakes, stood waiting for him. The moment he met Shakes’s eyes, the old man said, “Let’s go, boy. We don’t have all morning.”
And they didn’t.
A woman entered the gym and sauntered over to the ring. It was hard to ignore her long, red hair that fell in waves over her shoulders and the deep crimson lipstick she’d plastered on her face. No matter how hard she tried to get his attention, Mike wasn’t falling for it.
Meeting them at the edge of the ring, she flipped her hair and flashed him a wide, toothy smile. Her gaze locked on him as if she were trying to throw his thoughts off balance. Wearing a canary yellow dress that stopped mid-thigh, the curve of Ava’s hip nearly stopped his heart. Her body matched her reputation. Seriously hot. And, he guessed it was probably how she went through life, attacking everything, even the least bit of cellulite, with gusto. Ava outstretched her hand and greeted Daniella, “Thanks for meeting me on such short notice.”
They shook hands and his trainer returned her professional smile. “We appreciate the coverage.”
Mike’s insides stirred. In a way, Daniella was right. Media coverage meant spreading the word about how much good Stamina had done for the community. The boxing classes, the youth organizations, and the fitness clubs were all designed to help the people of Las Vegas. Their city offered too much temptation, too many vices, and was solely focused on the mighty dollar. From gambling to drinking to all night parties, Sin City was all take and no give. Ava Phillips had the power to shine a light on the positivity Stamina offered. Maybe her inner serpent had a change of heart?
“I thought we’d start with a few shots of your guys sparring. Maybe have Jack and Mike trade a couple of punches. Action shots grab the most attention above the fold.”
Of course she was worried about how her article would look on the page.
Shakes taped up Mike’s hands and pushed his gloves on. Jack danced in the ring, already warming up. Both men walked to the center of the canvas and on Daniella’s cue, touched gloves and began to spar.
Mike hit Jack by opening with a clean left hook, then stepped back to set up the jab. Jack countered with his signature right hand, a move so clean and polished the punch deserved a spot on the front page. With each hit, he noticed Ava pointed her camera at him, and not on the reigning World Champion.
Light flashed from the camera with each shot. Within a few minutes, Daniella called for time and both men dropped their hands.
Ava slid her tiny camera into her purse, and addressed Daniella, “You have a great setup here. Stamina isn’t what I expected.”
“Hopefully, that’s a good thing,” Daniella remarked.
Ava’s green eyes narrowed. “I’m sure there’s more to the story. I mean, I think it’s great what Stamina is doing for Las Vegas, how you’ve expanded beyond just a boxing gym. So . . .” she paused, pursing her full lips, “I’d like to come back and interview people here individually.” She glanced at Mike.
Under the weight of her stare, his body tightened as her eyes trailed from his eyes to settle around the waistband of his shorts.
“I think some of your boxers could benefit from a one-on-one with me.”
Heat flooded him. Desire for the stunning redhead pooled deep in his gut. If she wanted a story, he could give her a one-nighter she’d talk about for years to come. At least it would distract her from the scent of a real news story.
“Sounds good.” Daniella eyed her, “Why don’t you give us an hour or so and we can get started? Or you can come back later this afternoon. Our Youth classes are pretty cool. Mike teaches them.
”
Ava shook Daniella’s hand. “This afternoon sounds great. See you then.” She turned and sauntered toward the door.
Her swaying hips were like the call of a siren. Helpless to resist, Mike draped his arms over the ropes. “You sure this is a good call?”
Daniella crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I think she’s going to cover us in a good way. Focus on what we bring to the community.”
Mike’s face tightened. “So, she’s coming back.”
Daniella confirmed with a nod.
He thought about Ava’s long legs, red hair, and the fantasy that played in his mind about following those swaying hips only to get her naked. He wet his lips at the idea of her lying underneath him, begging him to take her places only he could. He imagined what sounds she might make as her body arched under his, taking him in, and the look on her face just before she came. His inner beast grinned at the possibility. Just as quickly, his mind popped back into present. Considering his own past, attention from Ava was the last thing he wanted. Sure, she may look like walking sin and she probably kissed like the devil, but he’d never know. He centered his mind. Placing both hands on his hips, he let out a disapproving grunt. “Well, then,” he told Daniella, “just keep her away from me.”
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Fighting for It Page 22
