by Teagan Kade
That wasn’t the part that had me off-balance the most, though. I wanted to get a drink with him. He was right. I would have died and gone to heaven to have him rip off my dress with his teeth. It was as if he could sense my barriers were weakening with every encounter, and now he was staging a full-on assault to breach them.
My attraction to him grew by the day. I found it incredibly difficult to concentrate on simply doing my job, especially the more I got to know him. Watching him talk about how protective he was of his baby sister was endearing. It made him relatable and human. My plan worked like a charm, but I wasn’t immune to Shaun’s charms any more than the people we met, which was the problem. I found it harder and harder to resist him.
It had taken every bit of my willpower not to open the box he had sent to my office for the event. Kevin would probably never let me live it down. He thought I was nuts for rejecting the sexy-as-sin boxer who, as he said, clearly had a boner the size of Texas for me.
As if I wasn’t already fantasizing enough about Shaun’s cock. My vibrator had been getting quite the workout ever since the magazine shoot. Things were going opposite to what I wanted, and it seemed the same could be said for Shaun. I hoped I could do enough damage control to save some of the goodwill we’d built before Shaun attempted to singlehandedly blow it all to hell.
Although there had always been rumors around Shaun’s temper since Rio, I just witnessed how quickly he could be set off with the right set of circumstances. If someone wanted to mess with him or stir up trouble, it wouldn’t be terribly hard at all.
It was a theory that had been rolling around in the back of my mind ever since my run-in with Nigel. I kept looking over the press from the last six months and comparing it to what Shaun told me happened every time. Each encounter seemed to start innocently enough, but there was a spark of something that hit just the right button to light Shaun’s temper. He might not have gone to the extremes that each story said he had, but from what I had just witnessed he was cruising for something big to happen soon. Even if none of the previous stories were true, one was about to be if Shaun couldn’t control his temper. I had no doubt.
We arrived at the K Klub—a quiet, exclusive bar I knew to be discreet. The staff got paid well to be unobtrusive and to keep their mouths shut about whatever happened inside those four walls. Shaun needed to cool off and I needed to make sure that my presence wasn’t linked with Shaun any more than it already had been. I started rehearsing the story in my head of what I was going to tell my boss when the pictures of Shaun’s shouting match and me dragging him off surfaced in tomorrow’s news.
Shaun seemed to have regained some level of composure by the time we sat down. He ordered a scotch and water, double, and seemed to be daring me to say something. I couldn’t help but comment “It’s not like keeping you sober helped anything tonight.”
“That was your fault,” he replied.
I gaped at him. “My fault?”
“What do you expect when you keep telling me no? I was pissed.”
“So you throw a tantrum like a child? You’re a grown man, Shaun. Surely you’ve had a woman tell you no before.”
Shaun slid across the side of the booth until he was uncomfortably close.
I played out if I should move or not, but my body, the betrayer it was, refused to obey anything coming from my brain.
“Everything about your body is screaming yes. From the way you have a hard time catching your breath when I do this,” he leaned into the crook of my neck, and I felt my eyes slide closed, “to the way you arch your back as if you’re offering up your body to me. I can see it in your eyes even if I couldn’t feel it from each and every move you make.”
His lips brushed the sensitive skin on the side of my neck and I almost screamed. My body was so hungry for him. I brought my hands up, palms flat against his chest intending to push him away. But when I felt the lightest pressure of his lips skim on my collarbone, I clenched the lapels of his jacket tight in my fists instead.
His hands gripped my hips and dragged my body into his, pressing my softness against his lean hardness. His hand cupped the back of my head under my drape of hair, and I felt his lips begin their ascent to mine. My brain said I needed to stop him, but I couldn’t make myself do it. I felt as if he was lighting a fire up the side of my body, pussy clenching in need for him.
Shaun stopped with his lips just a hairbreadth away from mine. I opened my eyes and saw him watching me intently. “Tell me again you don’t want this.”
God help me. It was as if he wanted me to beg, and fuck me, but I wanted to do it. The heat in his eyes mirrored every emotion I felt inside of me.
But I had to resist him. I had to, if for no other reason than to save my career. I couldn’t let him destroy everything I worked so hard for the way he seemed so intent on destroying his own.
“Shaun, I can’t,” I stammered.
He pushed away from me with an expression that made me want to shrivel up in my seat.
“Can’t or won’t?” he said. His voice rippled with undeniable tension and frustration.
“Does it matter? It’s the same result in the end.” My voice was breathless and uneven.
“For the record, I don’t force women into my bed,” he said. “Regardless of what the press says, every woman in my bed comes willingly... and often.” He picked up his drink and slammed it down in one gulp. He motioned to the waiter he wanted another. I realized the drinks had appeared during our mini make-out session, and it hit home again I was playing with fire in more ways than one.
My brain felt as if it had been fried, but I needed to find a way to get through to him. He was angry with me, and although I understood the reason for it, we had far larger issues to deal with.
“Shaun, I think Nigel might be part of your image problem.”
He looked at me as if I had just told him that the sky was red instead of blue. “Nigel? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“He and I seem to be disagreeing quite a bit on what’s best for your image,” I said, trying hard to pick my words carefully. “The incidents that have been happening look random on the surface, but a couple of them could only have happened if someone tipped the paparazzi off to where you were those nights. That narrows it down to only a few people on your team.”
“So, let me get this straight. You think my manager, the guy who is the one fixing all the problems with my sponsors right now, is the one who is causing all the problems that are getting my sponsors pissed off to begin with?”
“I know it sounds crazy, and I don’t understand why, but Nigel is either involved or looking the other way.”
Shaun’s expression told me he thought I was crazy. “What proof do you have?”
“My gut tells me something is off.” I knew it was lame, but it was the only explanation that made sense.
“That’s not good enough, Tori. Not by a long shot.” As soon as the drink was down on the table, he’d swallowed it again. There was only ice there when he looked at me after that. It was the look that he used to plow down his opponents, and I recognized it. “Nigel has been my manager since the beginning of my career. He’s a good guy. I trust him. He’s had my back. You’ve been around for a couple of weeks and I’m still getting kicked in the balls every time I turn around.”
He got up out of the booth and threw a hundred-dollar bill down on the table. “I’m on the road in three days. I assume you’re tagging along, but just stay out of my way, yeah? Oh, and unless this little dog and pony show you’ve been selling me starts to pay off, I’m firing your firm at the end of the month.”
He stormed out of the room. I was left with my mouth hanging open. I couldn’t believe he would question my integrity just because he was pissed off I wouldn’t sleep with him. The entire ride home I alternated between being annoyed and sorely sexually frustrated as my body kept recalling what it felt like to be pressed up against him.
“He’s an asshole,” I kept reminding myself,
but I knew I didn’t believe it. I was an idiot for bringing up my suspicions right after rejecting him again. Shaun didn’t strike me as the type of guy who let those kinds of blows to his ego go lightly. And he wasn’t wrong about the fact that I was incredibly attracted to him. I just couldn’t sleep with him. I couldn’t do that to my career.
I entered my dark apartment and stared out at the skyline. I had to get ready to support Shaun’s upcoming out of town fights. The idea of seeing him up close and personal in the ring gave me shivers of delight. I pulled off my shoes and started to unzip my dress as I headed for the bedroom. I was suddenly glad I’d remembered to recharge my vibrator. I needed to take the edge off if I was going to be able to continue working with Shaun Nichols.
Chapter Eight
Shaun
The fight was rough. Despite the fact I’d thrown myself into my training and barely surfaced for air all week, I still got caught with my pants down. I was angry and bitter at myself as I left the ring for the last time. A tie wasn’t how I liked ending a fight, but I knew I’d gotten lucky. My opponent had me against the ropes fighting with everything I had almost the entire time. I was rusty.
Hammer looked like he was ready to spit nails as we made our way back to the locker room. I knew he wanted to chew me out, but he couldn’t in front of the kids. When Tori pitched it to me, I didn’t think it was a good idea, but now I was grateful. It meant the ass chewing would come later, which was fine by me.
I somehow managed to get through the next forty-five minutes without punching a couple holes in the locker room walls. The kids didn’t seem to care I hadn’t won the fight outright. They were all cancer survivors who were there for free with their parents. Obviously Tori’s brainchild, but all the logistics between us setting it up had been handled via email.
She was there in the back of the group, whispering and motioning to the photographer who captured every moment for posterity. I autographed some gloves and took pictures with each of the kids. I had to admit, by the end of the hour I wasn’t feeling as sorry for myself as I had at the beginning.
By the time the last set of parents left, I realized Tori looked beat, too. That was frustrating because I knew we needed to talk at some point. I wanted to apologize for being an ass after the charity event, even though I still thought her conspiracy theory was a bit far-fetched.
Nigel entered the room passing the last kid and waving them out. As soon as he confirmed the coast was clear, he sat down heavily on the bench and loosened his tie. “Fucking chemo kids. Yeah, that’s big news.”
I frowned. I knew Nigel could be an asshole, but the comment was a new low even for him. “Go easy, Nigel. It wasn’t that bad. Those kids made me feel like a million bucks. I needed that after what happened in the ring.”
“Too bad it doesn’t translate into actual cash money for your bank account,” Nigel snorted. “Winning is what you get paid for. It’s why people come to these things to begin with, you know. These kiddie stories aren’t what people want to see from you, Shaun.”
I started to peel off my hoodie and grabbed my stuff for the shower. “It’s a hell of a lot better than people thinking I’m some loose cannon who gets into bar brawls and drugs women to get into their pants.”
Nigel waved his hand dismissively. “You’re a star athlete and a man with needs. No one is going to fault you for that kind of stuff.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Except none of that stuff is true.”
“Of course not. Of course not,” Nigel said, clearly trying to elicit an empathetic, soothing tone. Instead, he sounded condescending.
“Not to mention it’s gotten me into trouble with my sponsors, so obviously they care. You don’t know anything about all of that, do you, Nigel?”
“Like what?”
I thought about what Tori said. I never even thought about it the way she presented it. It did seem odd the paparazzi were finding me again when my name had been out of the limelight for a while. It did have a ring of being… opportunistic. But I couldn’t believe that Nigel, of all people, would do something like that to me.
I made a mental note to check into it more when we got home. There were several more fights on this tour. I could only deal with one crisis at a time. Right now, the one I wanted to make peace with was Tori.
After showering and getting changed, I promised Nigel we’d talk more about the next fight tomorrow and made my way back to the hotel. I slipped the bellhop a twenty earlier in the day to help me find out which room Tori was in, and I felt anxious as I walked to her door.
I stood outside for a whole minute before finally building up the nerve to knock. She answered a few seconds later, wearing a short cream colored silk robe that showed off her toned calves and thighs. My mind went wild imagining the possibilities of what else was underneath.
She gathered the ties of the robe more tightly around herself as she frowned at me. “Shaun, what’s wrong?”
“Can I come in?”
She eyed me suspiciously. “What’s this about?”
“Tori, I’m in the middle of a hallway. It’s late. I have something I’d like to say to you and I’d prefer to do it somewhere a bit more private. I promise that once I’ve said my piece, I’ll leave. So, can I please come in?”
I could see the reluctance in her stance as she cracked the door open wide enough for me to enter. I moved inside and stood awkwardly just on the other side of the threshold facing her. She motioned toward the sofa in the small sitting room. My eyes were drawn to the bed behind the sofa.
“You might as well come all the way in,” she said.
Focusing my thoughts on what I wanted to say instead of what we could do in that bed, I moved to the sofa. I settled on the edge of the cushion and waited for her to sit down next to me. Since there weren’t any other options other than the bed behind us, she was forced to join me.
“What are you doing here, Shaun? You said that I should keep my distance, and I’ve respected that.”
I played out what I wanted to say so many times in my head, but now that the moment had arrived for me to say the words out loud, I couldn’t remember any of them. But then again, I was left with the only two that mattered. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly.
She shook her head and gave a mirthless chuckle. “Sorry for what? Sorry for questioning my judgement about my ability to do my job? Or questioning my judgement about you?”
Being so close, I felt her body tremble. It made me calmer just being near to her. I needed her to let me in. I wanted her to give me a chance. Just one.
“There might be something going on with the team. I promise I’ll look into it as soon as we get back,” I said. “I didn’t mean to dismiss what you said outright. It just seemed a bit far-fetched, that’s all.”
“I’m just doing my job, which is looking out for your best interests,” she said.
I couldn’t help my hand from moving to settle on her knee. When she didn’t immediately move away, I started to rub my thumb along the inside of her kneecap. Touching her skin and feeling its silky softness beneath my fingertips made me want more.
“What if my best interest right now is seeing where this could go? I’m not going to apologize for being attracted to you, Tori. I feel it. You feel it too. Can’t you see what you’re doing to me?” It was a complete gamble, but I didn’t have a way with words. I was a man of action, so I took her hand and moved it against my crotch. I expected her to slap me or call me out for being an asshole. What I didn’t expect was to feel the twitch of her fingertips through the fabric of my jeans tracing the outline of my cock.
I tugged on her arm and drew her closer. It was almost as if there was no fight left in her, but her eyes blazed with the same passionate fire I felt.
“Shaun,” her voice was soft. I loved hearing her say my name. Now I wanted to hear her scream it.
“No more telling me what you can’t do, Tori,” I said, reaching over and cupping her face. Her eyes locked with mine. “Tell m
e what you want to do.”
She said nothing, but I felt her fingers start to explore the bulge of my cock further. She wasn’t saying what she wanted out loud, but she was telling me with her eyes and touch. I leaned across the inches separating us, and the moment I claimed her lips, I heard a soft moan build in the back of her throat.
My first exploration of her lips was inquisitive and hesitant, but as soon as I knew she wasn’t going to fight it any longer, I moved in closer and pulled her into me. I moved my hips so she could straddle me, and I slipped my arms around her for the first time even as our kiss deepened.
I didn’t want to push her too hard to fast. That’s why I wanted to show her I was willing to let her take the lead. Once she let go of all of her inhibitions against this happening, I would make sure she didn’t regret it for a second.
Feeling her squirm on top of me almost pushed me over the edge. I was so hard my cock throbbed. This had been building for weeks, the leash I had on my emotions frayed and about to break. But still, I kept myself in check.
When her lips opened, my tongue thrust inside with a force I think surprised both of us. She tasted like sweet strawberries and the barest hint of wine. I found her tongue and it turned into a tug of war, one retreating while the other chased. All the while, my hands explored the contours of her sides. My palms splayed against the side of her ribcage as my hands found and tested the weight of her warm mounds.
I could feel the tight buds of her nipples poking through the thin fabric of her robe. She untied the strings holding it together, the movement caused her to press harder against my crotch, eliciting a deep groan from the depths of my chest.
“God, you keep doing that and this isn’t going to last long,” I mumbled against her lips, nipping at her lower lip, causing her to moan in turn.
