by Wild, Bella
I slowly let go of her, and her upper body slumped on the bed. I sat beside her and gently pulled her into my lap, cradling her in my arms.
“You’re so amazing, Amanda.” I held her tight as she nestled up to my chest. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she answered, panting heavily. “I’m great. I think we should try to get some sleep.”
I nodded and kissed her forehead, then placed her on one side of the bed covering her with the sheets. I went around to my side and crawled in beside her. She pressed her head into my chest and tucked her body in close, and I held on to her until we both fell asleep.
*****
I was barely awake when I felt Amanda stirring beside me.
“Good morning,” I said to her, half-opening one eye to look over at her.
“Morning, Lorne.” She reached her arms up and stretched.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I did,” she answered, still looking sleepy when she smiled.
“You were…God, last night was great,” I whispered into her ear.
“Mmmm,” she moaned. “For me too.” Her voice was soft and seductive.
I pulled her on top of me and kissed her deeply.
“I can try to be just as great this morning too,” I told her when I pulled from the kiss.
“That’s why sleeping in the same bed with you is not a good idea,” she answered, looking down at me, her eyes sultry and dark with desire.
“And why is that?”
She let her legs fall open on each side of my hips and began to rock against my growing hardness. “Because sometimes, I can’t get enough.”
I placed both hands on her ass and helped her rub against my cock. “Maybe you just haven’t had the right guy in bed with you.”
“Oh God, baby,” she whimpered.
She lifted herself up and reached her hand down between us to free my cock. I was rock hard in an instant. I slid my hands to her breasts and massaged them with both hands, thumbing over her hardened nipples as she lowered herself down my shaft.
“God, Amanda,” I groaned at the sensation, feeling transported out of this world and to another.
Her moans grew louder, and she arched her neck, head to the sky, rocking her hips as I moved deep inside her. She trailed her soft hands over my chest, massaging as she went, and it sent my arousal into overdrive. I pulled her shoulders down to me. My lips found hers again for a fierce kiss. My tongue glided up her neck, nibbling gently on her ear lobe. She undulated her hips with more intensity, and I must have hit that spot that made her go wild.
My lips moved down her neck, past her collarbone to her breasts, and she groaned louder when I blew a soft breath on one nipple, then the next. My tongue circled each one before I latched on to her hardened buds. She melted against my every move. Her hands snaked around to my back, and I could feel she was close to coming. Her hips moved wildly now, and her wet, swollen clit rubbed against my skin. I gripped her hips and pulled her body toward me, and her body shook hard. She was coming again. The sensation of her tight, undulating channel was mind-blowing. It took me closer to my own release. I took quicker, deeper plunges inside her, flooding her as I came.
Her body relaxed, but after only a few minutes, she began to move her hips again. She whispered in my ear that she wanted more. Fuck. I did too. I cradled her lower back and sat up with her in my lap.
I kissed her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “Tell me what you want me to do to you, Amanda.”
“Please,” she whimpered.
“Please what? Tell me.”
She moaned. “Please…God, Lorne. I need more.”
“Please, what?”
“Keep fucking me,” she moaned, gripping me around the chest, still grinding on my groin. “Up against that wall.”
The request was enough to make me rock hard again. I got off the bed and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I took her over to the wall, gently resting her back against it.
“Please come inside me now,” she whispered her urgent demand.
She nudged her pussy down to my manhood, and with one sharp move, I impaled her to the root. She hissed and wrapped her arms around my neck, finding the support she needed to move along my hardness. I pounded into her, giving my all to fulfill her.
“Oh God,” she cried, pressing back against the wall for support.
She rocked and swayed her hips in circular motions, and dug her nails into my back as I buried my cock deep inside her, plunging into her repeatedly. I was unrelenting, and soon her body tensed up and seized as she began to come again, whimpering into my ear, her weakened voice helping me to my own release.
I kissed her as we climaxed together. Her body slumped into mine, molding to my body. We were both struggling for air I took her back to bed and collapsed beside her.
***
I opened my eyes and most of the morning had already gone by. Kevin would be here anytime now. I got up and called for room service, had a quick shower, and came back to wake Amanda.
“Amanda.”
She slowly opened her eyes. “Hi Lorne.”
“Hi sexy. Time to get ready. Breakfast will be here soon.”
She smiled and kicked her legs off the bed to sit up. “Great…I’m starved.”
*****
Amanda
At the sound of the bathroom door closing behind me, all the air in my lungs rushed out. I leaned on the door. I had gone too far with Johnny last night. And this morning.
I turned on the shower and stepped under the water. “What am I doing?” I asked myself. The question was out there. I just wished there was a reasonable answer for it. As the powerful spray hit my hair, I put in my favorite two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, and tried to convince myself last night was harmless, and that Johnny could handle it. Deep down, I was certain we were getting too close. I rinsed my hair and poured body wash into my bath sponge. The thought of letting Johnny in had me undone.
Long before meeting him, I had decided relationships were not for me. It was best to keep men around on a short-term basis only. It was a policy that had been effortless to follow—until now. I squeezed my eyes shut and scrubbed up with the sponge, telling myself I was over-reacting. When I finished my shower and turned off the faucet, I grabbed a towel and went back to the bedroom to get dressed. My phone rang while I was searching through one suitcase. Thinking it might be Kevin or Fred, I hurried across the room to answer it. An unknown number flashed across the screen, so I threw it back into my purse.
I had begun to brace for what felt like the inevitable—that Kevin would eventually terminate my contract. It would be for the best, I fooled myself into thinking. There would still be the release pay, and even after I returned the money Johnny have given me, there would still be enough to go out on my own. I would find a way to make it work. That was what the gig had been for—one month, big paycheck, and done. It was supposed to have been simple. Except simple was not what this assignment turned out to be.
Johnny came in when I had finished getting dressed, and let me know breakfast was ready. Something made me stare up at him, and he moved in closer. I instinctively closed my eyes and tilted my head back, waiting for him to close the gap between us. It started as a soft, sweet kiss as his lips molded to mine, holding perfectly still for a moment, as if he was intent on stretching out the moment. His lips parted and gently tugged on my top lip. He slowly parted them and ran his tongue along the curve of my bottom lip. I heard myself whimper, and his tongue reacted, plunging into my mouth and possessing me deeply. His hands moved to my lower back and pressed me into his body. I was already so lost in the moment, I barely noticed the clicking sound as the door swung open.
“This has got to stop, Johnny,” Kevin snarled.
I pulled away from Johnny, embarrassed. He was furious.
“Get out of my suite, Kevin. We’re not having this discussion.”
Kevin took no notice of Johnny’s rage. “It’s like you two are t
eenagers. I’m sure you know where this conversation is going, Amanda.”
“I said get out!” he barked.
“The decision is made! I warned you, Amanda. We no longer require your services,” Kevin continued, shouting as loudly as Johnny. “Fred and his team will handle all aspects of the investigation, any my private security team will take on the rest. I’ll have your check waiting for you at the front desk when you check out later. There’ll be a plane ticket too for this evening, to get you back to Miami. The front desk already has another room set up for you. I’ll have your luggage sent over immediately.”
Kevin walked out.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Johnny said, charging out into the living room after him.
I stood there. This was what I had been expecting all night. Still, even with Johnny coming to my defense, it stung. I looked back toward the door connecting the two rooms, and began to pack.
Chapter Nine
Amanda
It was over. The assignment had been a wild ride, if nothing else. That’s what I told myself once I was moved to another hotel room. I didn’t wait for Johnny to return from wherever he and Kevin had disappeared to continue their argument. It was better this way. My body was exhausted from the wild night Johnny and I had together. The time change and lack of sleep had left me feeling haggard since we arrived in Greece. To top it off, the shot of adrenaline back at the concert had crashed and left me feeling even more drained.
As much as I felt I needed to protect him, the overwhelming urge was to let the FBI handle it, and to extract myself from the situation entirely. Kevin had made it unbearable, and almost impossible for me to succeed. I took some of the responsibility as well. I should not have crossed the line with Johnny.
I sagged against the door of the new hotel room. What little energy I had rallied was seeping out of me. I slid down and sat on the floor, suddenly overcome with disappointment in myself. This foray into entrepreneurship was a resounding failure. My eyes stung, and it was only a matter of moments before I would be lying on the floor in a ball, sobbing about how horribly things had turned out. I told myself it didn’t matter, that it was just a job. None of it helped, and any strength I had left over dissolved as the tears started to fall.
As I curl up on the floor. I realized that the last time I had cried like this was back in the hospital when the doctor came and told me, very matter-of-fact, that I would never be cleared to fight again, I would never have kids again, and that my career as a professional MMA fighter was over.
Just like that.
At the memory, the tears led to full-bodied sobbing. I had crossed the point of being able to get it together. I gave myself over to the sadness and released all the pent-up frustration, disappointment, and heartbreak that had built up in the past year and a half. All my tightly-contained emotions rose to the surface. I couldn’t catch my breath, not even for a moment. Eventually, my tears slowed. I felt some release, and soon was able to calm my breathing again.
I wasn’t sure how long I had been down on the carpet, but I jolted upright at a knock on my door. I pushed up off the floor and grabbed the handle. My heart was racing. I silently prayed Kevin and Johnny had somehow worked out their differences, and that fantasy, Kevin would be standing there, a changed man. He would have an apology, and beg me to continue the assignment, with a commitment to treat me with some professional respect.
“Shit,” I exclaimed as my hands fumbled with the locks. My eyes were slightly blurry with the remainder of my tears, and I couldn’t see what I was doing. I wiped my eyes and then flung the door open. My hopes crashed at the sight of the uniformed bellman. He was standing in between my two large suitcases.
“Good evening, ma’am,” he said.
My face fell and I wanted to cry all over again. I forced myself to keep my composure while he set down the heavy bags. When he was finished, I went to my purse and fished out some cash to give as a tip.
“Thank you, ma’am. There is one more bag downstairs for you. All our baggage carts were in use,” he explained, his face apologetic. He turned and started to leave. “I’ll be right back.”
After he left, I had the urge to phone Johnny, to apologize at least, and to make arrangements to return all that money he had given me. I walked over to grab my phone, and then it hit me—Johnny and I had never exchange phone numbers. In the age of technology, it was strange to feel so disconnected from someone, particularly when that someone had basically been glued to me for the past week.
I remembered that Johnny had phoned me twice in Miami, so I checked through my call history to see if his number was still there. It was! I dialed it, but no one answered. For a moment, I considered sending a private message to him on one of his social media accounts. That was a bad idea, given the FBI was monitoring them. I thought of going back to his room, but knew it would put me right back in the middle of their conflict. A few minutes later, the bellman knocked again with the last of my luggage.
After he brought it in and left, I locked the door behind him and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. I got into bed and closed my eyes to try and forget.
A soft buzzing stirred me from my state of post-emotional-breakdown numbness, and I blindly reached out to silence my phone on the bedside table. I checked the caller ID with one eye. It was my agent, Gary.
“Hello?” I answered, pressing the phone to my ear, not bothering to sit up.
“Hello, Amanda! Sorry for calling so early.”
“Gary, it’s the middle of the day.”
“What? Where are you?”
Right. It was seven hours ahead with the time difference. I hadn’t told anyone where I was or what I was doing. For all he knew, I was still in Miami.
“Sorry, um, I’m in Greece. I forgot to tell you.”
“Greece?” He replied. “What are you doing in Greece?”
“I wish I knew,” I mumbled. “What’s up?”
“Well, I’m sorry to wake you, but I have exciting news!”
I listened, waiting for him to share it.
“I have interest from some MMA cable TV producers to have you on the show,” he shouted into the phone ecstatically.
“What?”
“Did you forget the kind of results I get for my favorite people? You wanted me to ask around, remember? To see if you could get a TV deal.”
“Oh, right.” I rubbed my eyes. I was too exhausted from my outburst to feel much of anything. “They want me as a guest?”
“No! That’s the best part. They’re looking for a regular female commentator, and they were out of their minds with excitement when I pitched you. You would go to all the fights, have backstage access, and cover TV and radio elements of their programming. And they’re willing to pay! Let me tell you, Amanda. It’s a damned good deal!”
My eyes widened and I sat up. “Really? That’s amazing! Why haven’t they approached me before?”
“From talking to this guy who represents the network, Steve Remy, it sounds like everyone in the industry kind of thought you were…look, I won’t soften it. You can take it. They thought you had a breakdown. Everyone felt you didn’t want to have any part of the MMA world anymore. I guess some people thought it would be too much for you after…after that last fight.”
They weren’t far off. After my final fight, I had been bombarded with interview requests, most of which I had blown off, and I hadn’t been to a fight since then, but it wasn’t because I wanted nothing to do with it anymore. It was just a lot to relive. The physical wounds had healed, but emotionally, it was too fresh.
“Wow.” I paused, sinking back into the bed. “I had no idea.”
“Does that mean you’re interested?” Gary asked.
“Uh—yes. Yes! What would we need to do?”
“Let’s get together when you’re back in town. When do you get home?”
My heart sank, wishing the answer was different. “I fly out this evening.”
“Okay, excellent. Can we
do Thursday? It’ll give you time to get over your jetlag. Let’s meet at my office. We’ll do lunch down at the pier, and can go over the details.”
I hesitated. Was this what I really wanted? Up to a couple weeks ago, I would have been thrilled about an opportunity like this. Now, my heart and mind felt tied to protecting Johnny. I needed to get over it fast.
“Amanda? How does it sound, honey?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Gary. I’m just wiped. This is great news.”
“All right,” he said. “See you soon. Have a safe flight!”
“Bye, Gary.” I clicked off the call and nestled back under the covers.
“What a mess,” I said into the darkness before rolling to my side to finally sleep.
Chapter Ten
Johnny
“Come on, Johnny,” Kevin said, standing in the doorway of my hotel room, an hour after we left to duke it out in his suite. He had followed me back here, and now Amanda was not in the room.
“Tell me where Amanda is,” I demanded.
“Johnny, just listen to me. Get your bags packed. We’re checking out in a few hours.”
“Where is she?” I repeated. My teeth gritted together, and it took every ounce of self-control to not launch myself across the room and put my hands on him. Kevin was technically my godfather and adopted father after my parents died. Although we had gone through more than a few rough patches over the course of our relationship, I had never wanted to physically hurt him before this.
Kevin paused, sizing me up. “You want to hit me, son?”
“Just tell me where she is.”
He let out a tired sigh. “It’s over, Johnny. She won’t be continuing on the tour with us. I booked her a flight for tonight. She’s going back to Miami.”
“Christ!” I raked my hands through my hair. “You’re un-fucking-believable, you know that?”
Kevin stepped inside and shut the door behind him so people walking by in the hallway wouldn’t hear. “Johnny, you may not like or agree with my decision, but I don’t really care right now. That girl is bad for you, bad for this job, and right now, especially after everything that happened on that island, we can’t afford any more mistakes.”
