Redemption

by Tia Lewis

  Lillian filled her box and set it on the table, tying one of my signature yellow ribbons around the box to keep it closed. "Well, at least tell me that you have talked to those guys."

  I shook my head, finishing with my box as well. "I haven't really. They mostly keep to themselves other than the occasional cupcake order. In fact, I have one to deliver to them in two days. You can take them over if you would like."

  Lillian's smile grew wider. "Hell yes, I'll take them. Let me scope them out."

  I laughed and placed my box on top of hers. "They are all yours." There was no part of me that wanted to get involved with any man right now, friend or otherwise. James' deception helped me refocus on my business, my livelihood, something that I had lost a bit with my relationship and the need to constantly make him happy. Now I could really take the bakery to the next level, and I already had some ideas of how to make that happen.

  "Well, I'm telling you I won't mind if one of them follows me back," Lillian was saying as I closed the display case and turned off the lights in the front of the store, locking it down for the night. "And I won't be sending them back either."

  I pulled off the apron that attempted to protect my clothes on a daily basis and hung it up on the hook next to the door, picking up my purse and the boxes. "As long as they are willing to help out in the bakery, they can stay. Just make sure you seduce a good one."

  Lillian's laugh followed me outside as I walked to my car, opening the door before putting the boxes in the back seat. She could have all of them as far as I was concerned. I was so done with men and relationships for now. They were nothing but trouble and not even in a good way.

  My cell vibrated, and I picked it up as I walked to the driver's side of the car, frowning as I saw James' number fill the screen. Immediately I hit ignore and stuffed the phone back in my pocket, knowing that he was probably going to leave some long ass voice mail saying how much he needed me and that he was sorry for sleeping with Jenna. He did that quite regularly now, and after listening to the first few, I started deleting them without even bothering to listen. There was nothing he could tell me now that would make me take him back or even want to take him back. He blamed the relationship on Jenna, but I didn't care whose fault it was. It was over and done with, and he needed to realize that I wasn't going to come back, ever. Lillian stepped out of the bakery, and I watched as she locked the door before climbing into the car, waving at her as I drove away. The bakery was everything to me now, and I planned to make it stay that way.

  My apartment wasn't far from the bakery, and I was glad tonight. Once I dropped off the baked goods at the shelter, I was home in no time. Grabbing my things, I walked to the door and threw it open, walking into what had become my haven. Shutting the door, I flipped on the lights as I walked through, taking a deep breath. It had been weird at first living alone again after all the time I had spent with James, but I had gradually grown used to it over the last few months, allowed to do whatever I wanted to, eat when I wanted to eat or spend all of my time at the bakery without someone constantly complaining I was taking up all of their time. While the apartment wasn't as nice as the one I had shared with James, it was enough for me.

  With a sigh, I flopped down on my couch, picking up my phone once more to find three more text messages from James. At one time, I had loved him to distraction, him my entire world. But the funny thing was, after we broke up, I realized he had been toxic as well. Everything I did was never good enough for him, and I hadn't seen it until the blinders had been removed after our nasty breakup. I had never claimed to be perfect, and he was far from it as well but liked to think he was. Now I couldn't even think of what had attracted me to him in the first place, but love was a fickle thing. I was just glad it was all over with, well, if I could get him to leave me alone.

  Chapter Three

  Anthony

  We sat in the second story lounge above the gym around a large table that we used to plan out the gym's next moves and eat on occasion. I leaned back in the padded leather chair, my knee stretched out in front of me with just a twinge of an ache after two days. Yesterday had been hell, but today I was feeling more like myself. To my left sat Travis 'The Terrible' Kell, who had been an up and coming MMA fighter before he had dropped it all and disappeared for two years without a word. He and I had fought a few bouts in our day. The first time he had resurfaced was when we were looking at opening this place, walking into the bar that many of the fighters frequented and plunked down twenty grand for his share. To my right Paul 'The Scorpion' Watts lounged, his arms crossed over his chest. Paul's nickname came from the large scorpion tat that graced his entire back and like me, had his career cut far too soon from an injury. It had been Paul's idea to open up this joint, keeping himself close to the action. Across the table was Benji 'The Sleeper' Lomns, who held the title for putting more guys unconscious in his career than any other fighter in any division. He was the only one that was still a fighter to this day, which was why he was sporting a yellowish bruise on his face from his most recent bout a few nights ago. He was also our resident marketing guy, which was part of the reason we were here today.

  "So I found another sponsor," he was saying, a grin appearing on his busted lips. "The exhibition is on."

  I rubbed a hand over my face, holding my tongue on how much of a dumbass decision this was. Paul had gotten a wild hair to hold an exhibition match for all the guys that were currently training under us to attempt to attract a bigger audience for not only them but for the gym itself. We were able to find a venue and pony up half of the money, but we needed another sponsor to share in the cost.

  "That's great," Travis said, his normal brooding stare not changing even though he sounded excited. "Who is it?"

  Benji stretched his arms behind his head and leaned back. "You know that glove supplier downtown? He's willing to give the money if all the guys use his products in their matches. I figured it wasn't a big deal."

  "Sounds like it's on then," Paul added, reaching for the box in the middle of the table. "Anyone want a cupcake? These things are awesome."

  I sighed loudly. "Really? Are we reduced to eating cupcakes now?"

  "What crawled up your ass?" Benji asked as he accepted one of the beige iced cupcakes from Paul. "What do you have against cupcakes?"

  I looked at the guys, guys that had the same common goal as me once upon a time and wondered if they every missed the sport, Benji excluded. He was still the lucky fucker who got to fight every once and a while. Did they not dream of the sport, want to feel the crush of their fist into human skin? I dreamed about it nearly every night. "I don't have anything against cupcakes," I ground out. "Do you not miss the cage?"

  Travis looked at me funny before running a hand through his hair, which was abnormally shoulder length in nature. "What are you getting at, Tony?"

  "You know the smell of the game, the feel of the fight, don't you miss it at all? I would give anything to get back into that cage."

  Travis rolled his shoulders, moving his neck side to side with an audible pop with each movement. "Hell yeah, I miss it. How can you not when it's your livelihood for so long?"

  Paul polished off his cupcake, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Why do you think I opened this place, Tony?"

  "It's not enough," I reiterated, slamming the palm of my hand on the table. They all looked at me warily, as if I had lost my mind. Maybe I had, but I was going to lose my sanity if I didn't get back into the mix of fighting. "I want back in the cage."

  Benji stared at me, his cupcake frozen in the air. "What?"

  "I'm getting back in the cage," I repeated, the thrill of just saying it out loud running through my veins. "I'll be part of the exhibition."

  "But you can't," Travis stated, his eyes darkening. "Your knee."

  I pushed out of the chair, angry that when people looked at me, they saw only my knee. I was much more than just a bum knee. "My knee is fucking fine," I shot back, standing on both legs just to show
them that I was telling the truth. "I have to fight. I need to fight. This club, being this close to the action, it's driving me crazy. A little bit of conditioning and I will be ready in a month."

  They all looked at me before Benji shook his head, standing. "Hell if you want to do it that much, I'll spar with you, help you train."

  "Thanks," I said grudgingly, nodding toward the fighter. Benji was currently in the circuit, which would be a big benefit to me and my training. He nodded in response before pushing the cupcake box toward me. "Now eat a cupcake. Everyone needs one."

  It was past ten before I shouldered my bag and walked out of the front of the gym, my body sore in places I had forgotten existed. Benji, true to his word, had decided today was as good a day as any to start my training, and he had worked me over good in that regard. He was far more talented than some kid off the street, and I spent more of my time on my back, trying to fight him off than I did actually knocking him on his ass. It was a good start, but I had a long way to go. I was making the right decision getting back in the cage. I knew it even if the other guys didn't think so. I didn't want to be the one sitting on the sidelines forever, wishing I had done it. If I broke my damn back attempting to make a comeback, well at least I would have that memory to carry me through the rest of my miserable life.

  I locked the door with the key and turned toward my car, seeing a woman up head, her hands full of boxes as she attempted to juggle them toward another car. I walked toward her instantly, feeling sorry for her. "Hey, can I help?"

  She jerked her head in my direction, her eyes registering in concern, then surprise. "I, um sure you can. Here, can you hold these for me? I can't seem to locate my keys."

  I took the boxes from her, the smell of cupcakes wafting up from them, reminding me of the cupcake I had been forced to try earlier in the day. I had to admit, it was a damn good cupcake, but I wasn't much of a sweets eater and hadn't had a reason to frequent the small bakery since she moved in. "You're the baker," I said as she scrambled around in her large bag for her keys.

  "I am," she said, her eyes on her task. "Sweet Treats is the name."

  "You must be feeding an army tonight," I muttered as she finally found her keys and inserted them into the car door. She took the boxes from me and then straightened, giving me my first look at the owner of the bakery. She was petite, with blonde-streaked brown hair tied into a hasty knot at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were green, her face rounded with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. My eyes traveled down to her breasts, hey I'm a guy, and found them more than a handful, with a nice curve to her hips rounding out the rest of her. I hadn't been this close to a woman in quite some time, and I was liking what I was seeing. She was far from my normal type, but could easily become my type with a few sweet words.

  "You liking what you are seeing?"

  Yeah, those words weren't sweet at all. Her voice had an exasperated feel to it, like she was pissed I was taking in the sights. I snapped my eyes back to her face, seeing the annoyance in her eyes as she caught me ogling her. "Sorry," I offered with a hint of a grin on my face.

  "Well, thanks for helping," she answered, shutting the door and walking briskly to the driver's door. I thought about saying something else or at least giving her a better apology but decided to let her go, waiting until she was safely in the car and driving off before I turned toward my own car. Well, I never claimed I was some kind of suave guy with smooth words or a quick grin that sent all the ladies into a tizzy. I was a fighter, and that was all that mattered to me.

  Chapter Four

  Hannah

  "No, no not that way. You have to curve the icing up, or it will leave streaks."

  Lillian gave me a dirty look but resumed her icing journey, following my directions. With the summer season starting, there were more and more requests for cakes, so I felt like it was time for my assistant to step up and start preparing her own cakes. She looked about as enthused as having to give up her favorite item, but so far I could see the promise in her. Without formal education, Lillian was proving to be a great investment. The door opened, and I turned around to see a guy with a faded bruise on his handsome face standing before the display case, his hands in his pockets. He was tall and well built, with close-cropped hair and a nose that looked like it had been broken a few times in his life. I knew immediately that he had come from the gym next door and my thoughts flashed back to two nights ago when one of them had helped me load the remaining cupcakes in the car. He had been a rough looking character, but handsome in a sort of angry at the world way. He hadn't scared me, but the way he had perused my body with his eyes had lit another type of fire under me that I sorely didn't need right now.

  Shaking out of those thoughts, I put on a smile. "Can I help you?"

  He turned and gave me a grin, enough to send my heart racing. "I don't think we have met," he said, reaching over the case with an outstretched hand. I'm Benji, one of the owners from next door."

  I shook it, feeling his firm grip on my hand. "Hi Benji, I'm Hannah. It's nice to meet my neighbor." I had met one of the other guys who apparently had a fondness for cupcakes, for he came in every few days to grab a box. He was friendly as well, but Lillian always took it upon herself to be readily available whenever he came in. I wondered if she had a sixth sense or something for cute guys. "What can I help you with?"

  "I need a cake," Benji said. "For a birthday."

  I pulled out the pad I kept behind the case and found a pencil, poised to take his instructions. "Sure, when do you need it by?"

  "Why hello there," Lillian said as she came to stand beside me, a smile on her face. I sighed as I saw the interest on her face, wondering if I was about to lose my assistant to the gym. It was quite comical to begin with that a gym was right next to a bakery filled with sweets in the first place. "Which one are you?"

  I rolled my eyes as Benji introduced himself once more, causing Lillian to giggle as they shook hands. "I didn't know that there were two pretty girls running this place," Benji remarked as he released Lillian's hand. "Or I would have come in sooner." Great, a smooth talker. Right up Lillian's alley. I wasn't going to get her to work the rest of the day now.

  "And we didn't know that there were such hotties just right next door," Lillian replied, elbowing me in the side. "Right Hannah?"

  "He's here to get a cake Lillian," I said instead, rubbing where she had just elbowed me. I didn't have time to flirt. I didn't want to flirt, no matter how cute the customer was. "Don't you have a cake to ice?"

  "Oh that's right," Lillian answered, shooting me a look that clearly was not a thank you for reminding her. I didn't pay her to flirt, I paid her to ice, and that was what she needed to be doing. "It's nice to meet you, Benji. Don't be a stranger, okay?"

  "I won't," he said, giving her a wink. I waited until she had disappeared back behind the wall before turning back to Benji, my pencil ready. Unlike Lillian, I was all business. "Now when did you need it by?"

  "Two days from now," he answered, leaning against the case, his eyes drifting to its contents. "It's one of the owner's birthdays, and well, he needs some sweet in his life. I take it you can make this come true."

  I thought about the guy that helped me the other night and wondered if he was the one that Benji could be talking about. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. That guy did look like he needed something in his life, but I doubted a cake was going to help. "What kind of cake were you thinking about?"

  "I don't know," Benji said with a shrug. "Something cool I guess. The sky's the limit. You have full range on this one."

  I wrote down something cool on my pad, a thousand thoughts running through my mind. "Does he have a favorite flavor?"

  Benji shrugged again, and I tried not to appear frustrated. Vanilla it was then. That was a safe flavor, along with buttercream icing. It was my go-to flavor combo when a customer couldn't make up his mind, present company included. "Anything that this guy likes to do?"

  Be
nji chuckled, a grin appearing on his face, along with a very cute dimple. "He likes to fight."

  I nearly dropped my pencil. "Fight?" What kind of place were they running next door? I had never stepped foot inside before, but I had just assumed it was a regular gym. After all, everyone that came out of the place looked as if they lived in a gym.

  "You know, martial arts fighting?" he asked, surprise filling his eyes. "You didn't know that?"

  I shook my head. I'd never asked what went on next door and assumed that they were just gym buffs, not fighters. Benji cleared his throat and gave me an apologetic smile. "I can assure you that we are a bunch of teddy bears despite our rippling muscles."

  I laughed, enjoying his company. I had been wrong about him. "Sure you are. So, fighting, huh? I think I could do something with that."

  "Great thanks a lot," he said reaching for his wallet. "His name is Anthony. How much do I owe you?"

  I thought for a moment and then waved it off. "No, it's on the house. You guys buy enough cupcakes to keep me in business for years." It wasn't going to hurt to have a bunch of fighters owing me a favor or two.