Axel: A Romantic Suspense Novel

by Bry Ann

  I leaned back and looked directly into his black eyes and thought about everything he said. His world, sex, drugs, alcohol—all of that was both intriguing and terrifying to me. It was everything I’d been raised to avoid, and I was not sure I’d feel comfortable or safe in that kind of environment. However, financial securitywas something I would need if I wanted to secure my freedom.

  I swallowed and looked down. My fingers twitched, and I thought about the way X talked to me. Was it different than the way he talked with his other friends? No, X and I weren’t friends. Barely acquaintances if that. I blinked. I would give this a shot. At least, go and see the fight and see what came of it.

  “Yes, I want to go. Thank you,” I whispered.

  “Did you hear what I said? Do you understand? “His voice was stern.

  “I hear you,” I said, leaning across the table toward him.

  If he was going to be all intense, so was I. I no longer felt the need to whisper or speak quietly. I wanted him to know he couldn’t boss me around anymore, not unless I did decide to work for him and it would only be on the clock. He shook his head at me.

  “You’re something,” he mumbled.

  “So I’ve been told.”

  “Anyway, for tonight, I have to be there at four to get ready. You should get there around four thirty or so. I’ll introduce you to the team; show you around; all that. Then you can watch the fight. We’ll reconvene after the fight, or depending on my plans for the night, tomorrow.”

  I grimaced at his casual attitude towards sex but tried to cover it up. “Okay, and, um, what is it I’ll be doing if I work for you?”

  “You’ll be one of my assistants. There’s Caylan as well. He’s in over his head with everything going on since my title win last season, so he’d be grateful to have a right hand. You’ll be in charge of scheduling, dealing with the press, and whatever else Caylan, you, and I decide. We’ll have to divvy up the tasks between the two of you, playing to each of your strengths. I know what Caylan’s are, but I don’t know what all of yours are yet.”

  “Okay, that sounds great. Thanks. Umm…Well…”

  “What do I pay? That’s what you’re trying to ask, right? No need to beat around the bush. How about this? Come to the fight, meet everyone and all that, and then we’ll talk logistics. Now we should both go. I need to prepare mentally and you need to explore the city, see new things, enjoy, but be careful. Don’t make any big decisions until we talk again. I’ll text you the address to the place when I get in my car. It’s an hour away, so plan accordingly.”

  “Okay. Oh, shoot!”

  “What?”

  “We didn’t get coffee. That’s so rude.” I stood up immediately, grabbing my purse. “I know you’re leaving, but do you want something to go?”

  He laughed. “I’ll have a small black coffee.”

  “Are you sure that’s all? You got that muffin at the train station for me, which is ten times the normal price, plus you saved my purse, so you can get what you whatever you want.”

  “A small coffee’s fine.” Heplastered a fake smile on his face. I could tell he was ready to leave.

  “Okay, one small coffee comin’ at cha.”

  I hurriedly went to the counter, ordered two small black coffees and a cookie, and then met X at the door where he was texting someone. I handed X the coffee.

  “The cookie for you?”

  “Yeah, I never got this stuff at home. I’m determined to be fat by the time I leave Seattle.” I smiled and winked at him.

  He shook his head and laughed. Then his face got serious and dark, his usual expression.

  “See you tonight.”

  With that, he was gone, and I was free to roam the city and contemplate what in the world I was getting myself into.

  I spent the rest of the day with Carl, my manager. I wanted to berate myself for potentially hiring Aly, but I had to focus on the fight ahead. The guy I was set to fight was a wall of a man. I was tall, built, and lean, but this guy was massive. Somehow, we were in the same weight class, but the dudewas bigger than me. I didn’t know how he did it. I couldn’t get any bigger without moving into the next weight class, which I didn’t want to do since I was dominating this one. I was sure I could beat him, but I had to be on my game. It was the first fight of the season. I couldn’t start off the season with a loss. I’d be fucking pissed. Not to mention Aly would be here and I didn’t want her to think I was some loser. She’d never seen me fight in person, and if she wasgoing to work for me, she wasgoing to see me motherfucking win.

  Arrival time came rather quickly. I pulled up to the boxing ring with Carl and Caylan. My coach met us there. When I got to my dressing room, I put some sweats on, drank some water, and started doing some light warm ups with my headphones in. Carl was discussing the upcoming fight with management, and Caylan was making sure I had everything I needed. I was lost in my music when I felt a presence in the doorway. I turned around and saw a very fidgety Aly standing there.

  All four-foot-eleven of her.

  She was wearing dark jeans, a short sleeve black button-up top, and a pair of Converse. Her hair was up in some unique up-do. She was wearing makeup too, dark eyeliner and shit. Her outfit was so simple, but she looked incredibly sexy.

  The other thing that was super apparent, to my amusement, was how uncomfortable she was seeing me with my shirt off. She kept looking away or she’d give me super awkward eye contact so she didn’t look down. Her cheeks were bright red from the moment she entered the room. Well, at least she found me attractive as well. I laughed.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” she said, fidgeting and looking around the room. “I think his name is Carl. He let me back here.”

  “No, you’re good.” I continued checking her out. I couldn’t help it. “Come in.”

  I took my headphones out and set them on the counter. She walked in. I could tell she was on guard, so reluctantly I put my shirt on this one time to make her feel more comfortable. I didn’t even give her shit about it either.

  “So, you ready to meet the team?”

  “Yes, that sounds good!” She was trying very hard to sound enthusiastic, but her voice was quivering as she spoke and her hands were shaking. It was easy to see enthusiasm was the last thing she was feeling.

  She kept twirling her hair and tugging at her clothes. She felt uncomfortable with what she was wearing and how she looked, which was funny because what she was wearing was still so conservative, especially for here.

  “I’ll go grab them, but, Aly?”

  “Yeah,” she said, looking at me with a twinge of fear.

  “You look nice, so you can stop messing with your hair and all that.”

  Her hands flew down to her sides, and her cheeks turned bright red. We laughed. That seemed to lighten her up a bit.

  “I’m nervous,” she finally said. “This is a very different atmosphere for me.”

  “Yeah, just wait until we get started. Caylan will keep an eye on you. You’ll be fine. K?”

  “Thanks.” She gave me a warm smile and I turned away.

  I grabbed my phone and texted the team. I knew they would all be in in a minute, so I started wrapping my hands in the meantime. Eventually, the three guys that made up my innermost circle walked in. There were lots of people who worked for me behind the scenes, but these were the people I interacted with on a daily basis.

  Both Coach and Carl eyed Aly suspiciously, but Caylan gave her a look that set my teeth on edge. It was lustful, and suddenly I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave Aly with him anymore. It was too late now, though. I made a mental note to threaten the shit out of him.

  “Guys, this is Aly. Aly, this is my manager, Carl, Coach—his name’s Mikey, but we all call him Coach—and that’s Caylan, the assistant I told you about.”

  “I’m Aly!” Her voice was bright and she extended her hand out to each of the three men. “I’m from Salem.”

  “How do you two know each other?” Carl asked.

&n
bsp; I never brought girls around unless I was going to fuck them. Everyone in that room knew I was not going to “fuck” Aly. Not because she wasn’t beautiful or incredibly attractive; it was because she was smart, personable, and incredibly charming. Not the kind of girl you fuck once and never see again. Besides, I fuck girls who are into that sort of thing, a one and done type deal; everything about Aly screamed innocence and purity.

  Aly stuttered in response to Coach’s question, so I jumped in.

  “We met on the train,” I interjected.

  I didn’t owe them shit. It was their job to accept Aly because I told them to. Bottom line. Not that she wasa hard person to like.

  “Welcome, Aly. I hope you enjoy the fight,” Coach began. “I have to go discuss some technicalities with the refs, but I’ll be seeing you around, I’m sure.”

  Coach smiled and left.

  Carl jumped in. “Okay, well, I echo what Coach said. Enjoy the fight. See you later!”

  He left. They were all super busy before a fight. Then it was just me, Aly, and Caylan.

  “So,” Caylan said. “How long have you been in town?”

  He took a step toward her, but I subtly blocked it, sending him a message. One not to be misinterpreted.

  “I…”

  I cut her off. “She’s new. That’s all that matters. You’ll show her to her seat.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said, giving me a fake little bow.

  My eyes narrowed. “I need to talk to you for a moment privately, Caylan. Then you will take Aly to her seat. After the fight or tomorrow, the three of us will discuss Aly possibly joining the team and roles.”

  “Sounds like a plan!”

  “Okay,” Aly said with a nod.

  “Good. Now, Aly,” I said, turning towards her, “stay where Caylan tells you to and take a look at your surroundings. This is where you will be most of the time if you decide to work for me. Make sure you can tolerate it. Enjoy the fight!” I smiled at her as I remembered her reaction to my televised fight at the dinner. I’d show her an even better one tonight. She’d know who ruled the ring and there would be no doubt in her mind that I was the boxer she wanted to work for. Not that she even wanted to work for a boxer in the first place, but my testosterone was through the roof knowing she was going to be watching me tonight.

  “Okay, I will. Thank you. I’ll just wait outside so you two can talk.”

  With that, she walked out the door, leaving Caylan and me alone.

  “So what’s up with you and this girl? That’s the girl from the train station.”

  “She’s a potential hire. I think I’ve made that fucking clear. Now, first things first. Watch her, Caylan. I’m not messing with you. This is not her scene yet. She’s from a small town,” I shot him a look to remind him of where I came from and my connection to this girl. “So help her. The second thing I should do is warn you. Do not hit on this girl, do not touch her, or so much as say one inappropriate thing to her. I’ll know, and you will be fired immediately. If you touch her, I will beat the shit of you. Clear?”

  Caylan blinked. I had caught him off guard with my defensiveness over this girl. “Crystal. Now is that all you wanted to say?”

  I glared at him. “Yeah, now let me get ready.”

  I walked him to the door so we could go over some last-minute logistics. When I opened the door, I saw Aly talking with some guy that I recognized as another fighter in the league. He must have had the slot after mine. The guy had one of the worst reputations in the boxing world when it came to women. I’m no saint, but this guy had no moral compass and Aly was standing there like he was another member of her church group. I stalked over to the two of them. I grabbed her shoulder and jerked her back towards Caylan.

  “What the—?” she said as I pulled her backward.

  When she was back on stable footing, the other fighter eyed me with a furious suspicion. Aly looked at me confused. The other fighter walked away, and I turned to her angrily.

  “Don’t speak with anyone you don’t fucking know.” I turned and slammed my door. Now I had to find a way to focus my brain on the fight and not the smart-ass blonde midget outside my door.

  Cha

  P

  Chapter five

  I tried to regain my balance after X jerked me away from that guy. I looked up at X. What the heck was that about? The guy was being so nice. We were having an innocent conversation. He came over and said “hi. What was I supposed to do? Send him away? I looked over at Caylan and he just shrugged.

  “X is the bossiest, angriest motherfucker I’ve ever been around. I don’t understand half the shit he does.”

  “I see that. Does anyone know why he’s that way?” I said, taking two steps backward.

  X seemed to trust Caylan, but something about him made me feel uncomfortable. He looked nice enough: dark blonde hair, brown eyes, a skinny frame, and super baggy clothes. I didn’t feel safe around him, though, not like I did with X, which was weird because X was the darkest, most intimidating human being I had ever seen.

  “No one knows much about him. X is quiet about anything that’s to do with who he is, where he came from, or anything that pertains to him directly. Hence the nickname,” Caylan said as he began to walk forward and I followed. “We do know he came from a small town where some tragedy happened, and he lost his best friend. It destroyed him. He went to juvie. We don’t know why. When he turned eighteen, he left his town, became ‘X,’ and never looked back.”

  I bit my lip and looked over at Caylan. “Does anyone know his real name?”

  “Carl does. Coach does. I don’t. Don’t even bother trying to get it out of them. They are under the strictest instructions to never tell anyone. I haven’t been able to find his real name anywhere. It’s like he never fucking existed before becoming X.”

  My brain spun with curiosity and hurt for X as we walked down a very busy, very dirty hallway. When we finally started reaching the seating area, Caylan turned to me and looked me up and down in a way that made me very uncomfortable. I crossed my arms over my chest protectively, wishing X was around.

  A smile played on Caylan’s lips. He ran his tongue across his teeth. “So, what’s your story? Where you from and all that?”

  “Well, I …” I wanted to take a page out of X’s book and not say anything, but my word vomit disease was bubbling at the surface. “I’m from Salem. I just arrived in town yesterday, and that’s all there really is to me. I’m super boring.” Caylan walked me down a flight of stairs to a pair of seats that were directly in front of the ring. “Wow, these are so close. I bet these are expensive.”

  Caylan shot me a look. “Did you expect X to give you shitty seats?”

  “I didn’t expect bad seats, but these are like front and center. I’m no expert, but I know these are super expensive.”

  “X gets these free, and even if he didn’t, he takes care of his girls.”

  “His girls?”

  “Yeah, you know,” Caylan said, leaning into me. “The girls he wants to fuck.”

  I reeled back and took two steps away from Caylan. “No, it’s not like that. X is helping me.”

  “It’s always like that with X, Aly. It’s about sex and power with him. Bottom line. Don’t be naive.”

  Just then, there was a bell and the announcer came out. I took a seat and turned to Caylan.

  “I don’t care what other activities X has gotten himself involved in. He knows better than to try and sleep with me. Bottom line.”

  I turned around and locked eyes on the ring. Caylan walked off to do something, and I homed in on everything going on around me, just like X asked. I trusted he wasn’t trying to sleep with me. Somehow, I just knew. He had confessed too much of himself to me for this all to be a ploy. Besides, I was not the type of girl a guy like him would want to sleep with anyway.

  The announcer called out his opponent. A man even larger than X walked out. He walked around the ring arrogantly and pounded his fists on his chest. I sat
up straight and put my hands in my lap. I knew I looked weird sitting so properly here, but I didn’t know how else to sit. I felt sort of awkward with everyone around me drinking, cursing, yelling, and just in general acting in a way I had never been around before. Then as I was focusing on all of the commotion around me, I heard X’s name being called and screams broke out across the whole arena. Women yelled highly sexualized comments about his body.

  I sat up straighter as I waited for him to come out. Unlike the other guy, who was pounding his fists and making his presence known, X walked in slowly and methodically. It was as if there was no one in the room but him. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone except for the brief moment when he first pounded his opponent. X was wearing boxing shorts, and he had his shirt off. My breath hitched at the sight of his incredibly sculpted lean body. How could one man be so attractive? I tried not to think about his body, and I tried to screen all the inappropriate thoughts running through my head, but between his glistening muscles and all the things people were saying to him, it was nearly impossible. I’d never been around someone that attractive. I was still at looking at him when a voice broke my gaze.