Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Jamie yanked his T-shirt off, and I let out a little sigh as the cotton slid up over his skin, revealing his tanned body. He tucked the shirt at the back of his shorts then fished in the bucket for the sponge.
He spent the next forty-two minutes—yes, I timed it—cleaning and waxing his truck. The way his body moved made me wonder what sex with him would be like. I imagined he left girls begging for more. I wanted to walk outside, pin him up against his truck and—shit, he was walking back inside. I shifted in my seat and tried to look casual, tapping away at the keys and pretending to work. As he passed by, he flicked water at me from the bucket, and I flinched, laughing as the droplets hit me.
Damn, I love my job.
****
I met the guys at 2 p.m. at a local diner to travel in convoy to downtown Detroit, where Jamie’s fight was being held at the Amex Arena. The guys were car-pooling, and Kal was adamant that I was riding with him and the rest of the trainers. Initially, I agreed, because I didn’t really expect anything different. Marc, however, jumped in on the conversation and told Kal I could ride with them, which was a bit awkward. Marc emphasized the fact that I was the same age as them, and therefore I should ride with the guys rather than be stuck with him and the trainers. Kal didn’t look too happy about it, but he let Marc have his way, and for the first time, I was really grateful he did that for me. Now, I didn’t have to spend hours trapped with men my dad’s age.
Walking into the diner, the guys were already seated at a table. They were all wearing their signature yellow, silver, and black V-neck T-shirts, which clung to them like a second skin. They teamed it with black slacks and sneakers. If they didn’t have slight scars and marks on their faces, they would have looked every inch male models. It made my heart swell that they wore their colors to show their solidarity to Jamie. I’d put on my work T-shirt too.
I made my way over to them, noticing some of the waitresses were gawking in their direction, but I couldn’t blame them. Greeting the guys, they all seemed chipper, apart from Jamie, who sat chewing his lip, deep in thought. Sitting down in the spare seat next to Marc and opposite Jamie, I saw Jamie’s eyes lift to mine. He gave me a small smile, which I returned. I knew he was probably feeling nervous. The waitress came over, and I ordered my food and a soda, and then after checking that the guys didn’t want more drinks, she disappeared.
“Are you looking forward to your first fight?” Marc eyed me curiously.
“Yeah,” I said, smiling, trying not to give away just how apprehensive I felt. I still had mixed feelings about watching it. I was happy to finally see one of them in action, but the aggressive nature of it still disturbed me. It was bad enough watching them train, but knowing they could get seriously hurt or even killed if a punch landed wrong scared the crap out of me. I also didn’t know what Kal expected of me while I was there, whether it was to be an active part of the team, or whether it was to just be there to watch.
“Jay, you get to finally bang a chick tonight.” Cam rubbed his hands together, his eyes alight with mischief. The others cheered and whooped in response. I felt my cheeks heat. I seriously didn’t want to be part of that conversation. Jamie looked at Cam and shook his head humorously. He probably needed the release, but I didn’t want to think about him picking up girls at the club and sleeping with them. The thought kinda killed me. I pulled my cell out and began mindlessly flicking through it while they kept Jamie engaged in conversation. When that particular topic ended, I looked up from my phone to see Jamie was watching me. The waitress came to the table with our food, and the weighted look I felt from him disappeared.
We all dove hungrily into our food. All four of them had chicken with vegetables, whereas I’d chosen a burger and fries, much to the annoyance of Leon, who eyed my food like he was going to snatch it up when I wasn’t looking. I felt bad eating it while they were forced into a healthier lunch.
Once we’d eaten, Cam looked at his watch. “Right, let’s make a move.”
On cue, we all stood to leave. We had nearly a three-hour drive and a strict route plan that we needed to follow to get there for the arranged time.
Walking out to the parking lot, Marc playfully pushed me toward his truck. “You can ride with me.”
Laughing at his eagerness, I didn’t oppose and climbed into his Chevy truck. Leon hopped in the back of the cab. We tailed Jamie on the way down, who was riding with Cam.
During the journey, Marc delighted in telling me what to expect. He told me that most of the guys’ families and a few of their close friends usually went to watch them when they had a fight, and I was curious to see who came for Jamie. He then went on to tell me about his own last fight, and the gory details of how he dislocated his last opponent’s shoulder. His graphic recap almost made my burger come back up. Any thoughts of sleeping through the trip went right out the window because Marc talked so damned much. Leon joined our conversation every now and then, but he mostly had his headphones in listening to his music.
Once we’d finally made it into Detroit, I started seeing posters advertising the event. There were four fights on tonight. Jamie’s being first. Nerves started to bubble in my stomach, and I wondered just how anxious Jamie was starting to feel.
Thirty minutes later, we eventually pulled into the parking lot of the arena, and Marc pulled into the bay next to Jamie’s shiny black Ram. I let myself out of the truck, enjoying being able to stretch my legs after the long car ride. The guys gathered together and grabbed the various bags they’d brought with them.
“Let’s go find Kal,” Jamie said, while his eyes looked around the lot.
We followed him in through the arena doors, where we were met by security. Once we were cleared, we were given entry. We walked down the corridors toward the south side changing rooms, and I stopped to look through one of the doors that led into the actual arena, and nerves bubbled in my stomach. A trillion concrete steps and endless rows of seating led down to the vast arena flooring, where the red and black cage was powerfully centered. The fight’s sponsorship logos were emblazoned across it, and it looked every inch as intimidating as it did on the TV, even more so in person, especially with all those empty seats waiting to be filled. Further seating circled the cage, and I wondered just how many people the arena was going to hold tonight. Closing the heavy door, Marc, who had stayed by my side, raised his eyebrows in anticipation of my reaction. I didn’t think words were needed. Quietly chuckling to himself, he casually slung an arm around my shoulders, and we walked to the changing rooms. Just before we entered the room, he dropped his arm.
Jamie and the other guys had already set their stuff down and were being greeted by a number of people who were already milling around wearing the team’s colors. Kal stood waiting. He patted Jamie and the others on the back as he greeted them.
“Hi, Kal.” I gave a little wave.
“Glad you made it.” He raised his hands, indicating the space around him. I wondered whether he thought I would chicken out.
Jamie sat at one of the lockers, and one of the trainers walked over to talk to him, while the guys sat quietly at the other lockers close by. Being the only female, I felt a little out of place, like I shouldn’t be back here, in a male locker room. I perched on a bench near Kal and watched as he and one of the coaches I recognized opened what looked like a small medical bag. They rooted through it, pulling out the various things, doing some sort of a check through. When they were happy, the bag was set down.
Members of the events team and the fight promoters came to talk to Kal about weigh-in times, interviews, and other stuff relating to the fight and the things that would be happening afterward. Then, when he was finished with them, he formally introduced me to the coach, Kurt, and head coach, Dale, whom I saw around the club regularly. They were the scary ones that shouted and put the guys through their paces. They seemed nice enough and were friendly to me.
My attention was soon turned toward the locker room door.
I could hear it echoing around the corridors that the arena was starting to get busy and loud. I guessed more people were starting to file in. Seconds later, Jamie came over and stood beside me, still looking tense. “How are you feeling?” I asked him. Probably a stupid question.
“Like I want to kill someone,” he said, before giving me his gorgeous smirk.
I chuckled at him. My stomach was in knots; the thought of watching him fight made me sick. I nervously exhaled and felt my fingers knot together.
“Hey.” He broke my thoughts. “If it gets too much,” he nodded to the door, “you don’t have to watch. You can come back up here and grab my towel for me.”
“Okay,” I replied. It was sweet of him to acknowledge that I was feeling a bit anxious, even though he was the one going into the damn thing. But I had to follow Kal’s orders, even though he was yet to tell me what I was supposed to be doing.
It got to 6:30 p.m., and there was one hour left until the fight started. The arena was packed now; some of the crowd had taken their seats, while others were walking around with beers. Jamie was called for weigh-in and came back twenty minutes later. Soon after he returned, three people came into the changing room, eyes darting around the area like they were searching for someone. Marc nudged Jamie and nodded in their direction. Jamie’s face brightened, and he stood up and eagerly walked over to them. They were obviously his parents and a girl who appeared older than him, who I presumed was his sister.
His dad was tall with short dark hair. He was naturally tanned, just like Jamie. He shook his son’s hand and pulled him close, patting him on the back and smiling proudly. His mom was petite with perfectly coiffed light brown hair. She threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. He looked a lot like her. I watched their embrace and a pang of longing struck me, making me yearn a little for my mom. He was deeply loved, and it warmed my heart to see it.
Pulling away from their embrace, he hugged the girl. She was a bigger build herself, almost like Jamie, and I knew for definite it was his sister because her father’s features were deeply ingrained. He spent a while chatting with them, while I watched on fondly.
“Time, Jay,” Kal suddenly shouted from across the room. He walked over and shook each of Jamie’s family members’ hands then clapped Jamie’s shoulder. Jamie hugged his family again, and they wished him good luck before they walked back out of the changing room. The worry that crossed his mother’s face as she left his side was something I totally sympathized with. Jamie walked back past me, and my heart swelled for him. I felt privileged being able to witness that intimate moment with his family.
Cam, Leon, and Marc decided to walk around the arena, because Kal ordered everyone out so he and the head trainer could meet with the executive from Jamie’s sponsor, who was now present, and Jamie began to spar with Dale. I asked Kal if he wanted me to do anything, but he said no, so I tagged along with the guys and walked around with them for a while.
The tension in the arena was charged and it was quite unnerving. It seemed to have picked up more volts as the time grew nearer. I looked to the cage and security guards were hovering around. The photographers had taken up camp directly in front of it, as well as several large cameras, which were aimed at every angle of the cage. Not only would Jamie be under the scrutiny of his opponent; he had the crowd, the photographers, cameramen, and whoever else the fight was being filmed for. Not to mention, there was a huge multiscreen TV suspended from the ceiling that would be playing out the fight for the crowd not close enough to the cage. It was an awful lot of pressure, and it made me realize just what a big deal all of this was. For the guys, it was their life, their dreams.
When we returned, Jamie was sitting on a chair with his earphones in, resting his elbows on his knees, listening to his iPhone. He was staring intently at the floor. I wondered what kind of music he was listening to, if he was listening to music. He could very well be listening to those hypno-type things to calm his nerves. I could do with listening to some of that to distract this nauseous feeling that kept coming over me. Needing to occupy myself with something, I repeatedly asked Kal if he wanted me to do anything, but he just kept saying no. I wanted to yell at him to let me do something, but he obviously had everything under control. Either that or he didn’t want me getting in the way. He then went off somewhere, and everyone just looked busy, so I sat watching Jamie yet again. I came to the conclusion that he was definitely listening to music, and it was probably to drown out the atmosphere and get himself focused.
A voice over the speakers announced there was only twenty minutes until the start of the fight, and everyone began buzzing around again. No one approached Jamie though; they just walked past him like he wasn’t there. Eventually, he started twisting his head from side to side and stretching his shoulders, and I continued to watch him curiously. I wanted to massage his neck and shoulders to try to take away some of the tension that had probably built there.
Soon, Kurt moved slowly toward him and gently lay a hand on his back. Jamie looked up at him and nodded in response. Taking his earphones out, he wrapped them around his phone and put it into his bag beside him. We made brief eye contact before he loudly inhaled and exhaled through his nose, and at that point, I didn’t know if he was looking at me or through me. He then followed Kal into the bathroom. When he finally came out, he was a sight to behold. He’d changed into his fighting gear. His long black shorts stopped just above his knees; the waistband was electric yellow with his name on it, and silver zigzags were printed down the sides. Black fingerless gloves encased his hands to complete the look. With his tanned, muscular body, closely shaved dark hair, and the focused look that was on his face, he looked every inch the bad boy. A bad boy I wanted to do bad things with. My body flooded with desire for him, and I immediately closed my mouth that was hanging open in awe. He moved farther into the room, and his whole demeanor said he was about to really fuck someone up. Turning to the coaches, I watched Kal and the guys that had surrounded him in a circle while Kal said a prayer. In turn, they placed their hands on top of one another, and they all lifted their hands in the air, growling, “Warriors,” in their deep voices. Hairs began to stand up on the back of my neck. Words of good luck and encouragement were shouted, and Jamie started bouncing up and down on the spot as his adrenaline kicked in. The head trainer, Dale, started to talk to him, and he occasionally nodded or twisted his neck.
“Pound him, Jay.” Cam patted his back.
Both Marc and Leon patted his back and wished him luck too.
I walked over to where they were all standing. “Be careful, Jamie,” I said to him, and I couldn’t have meant those words more in my life. He nodded, but there was no trace of a smile, and I wouldn’t have expected it. He was in the zone. Reality was setting in that he was actually going to fight, and I had no choice but to watch it.
“Right, let’s move!” Kal shouted.
Then I started to feel myself tremble with fear for him. This was actually happening. I was going to watch him fight. Panic consumed me, and internally I was battling the decision on whether watching this was the right thing to do or not. I could just hang back here in the locker room and wait. I didn’t get much chance to think about doing that long, because Kal and the guys headed out toward the cage, while Dale and Kurt hung back with Jamie. Sheepishly, I followed them down the corridor and through the doors inside the arena, where I was met with a sea of people and music blaring out through speakers. I continued to follow them through the aisles of the crowd until we reached the cage. Kal put the things down in what would be Jamie’s corner, and all eyes seemed to be trained on us, watching us, and it felt awkward. Well, it did to me. I looked at the cage in front of me; it stood tall and wide, ready for bloodshed. The thick, strong wire encasing it felt threatening, and it would be trapping Jamie in. I hoped Jamie nailed the guy. He had won most of his fights, and I hoped this one would be no different.
Jamie’s opponent’s team set their stuff down, and soon the guys and I
took our seats facing Jamie’s corner. The arena lights dimmed, and flashes of light crisscrossed around the room vibrantly, causing the intensity of the crowd to increase. The atmosphere was electric. A mixture of nerves and anticipation was making a lethal cocktail in my stomach as I anxiously waited for Jamie’s arrival.
The announcer entered the cage, and the music lowered as he took to his microphone and spoke to the energetic crowd. He received a thunderous response from everyone; they sure seemed revved up for it tonight. When he introduced Jamie, the arena was darkened and the music turned to a slow, repetitive beat. Everybody’s attention was turned to Jamie’s walkway, where a light flickered eerily in the doorway. Large spotlights that ran either side of the red carpet dramatically lit up one by one until the walkway was fully illuminated. Suddenly, Jamie’s form appeared in the eerie doorway, and Radioactive by the Imagine Dragons began to play loudly into the arena. It was spine-tingling. The crowd went crazy, and I smiled at Jamie’s choice in walkout song.
Pops of light began to flash from all corners of the arena, and a spotlight followed him as he made his way down through the crowd with bodyguards, Dale, and Kurt behind him. People were cheering for him, and some were shouting his name as he passed them. He looked as confident as ever, and desire shot through me again wanting this hot guy that was stealthily walking toward the cage. It wasn’t the best thing to be thinking at this point, but he had me totally captivated. Kal glanced in my direction and chuckled when he saw me grinning. He had desperately wanted me to enjoy all of this, but unbeknownst to him, I was grinning for a completely different reason.
Jamie reached the entrance to the cage and stood before a guy who worked for the event. He appeared to check Jamie all over, while another guy next to him rubbed Vaseline onto his eyebrows and cheeks. Dale poured water into Jamie’s mouth before placing his black mouth guard in, and he was ready to go. Dale and Kurt both spoke with him closely then each patted him on the back, and Kal, who had stayed silently by his side, did the same but placed a rough kiss at the side of his head. That really warmed me; I could have been watching a father and son.
Reckless Retribution (West Warriors Book 1) Page 10
