by Teagan Kade
If I didn’t show up in the gym, it would mark the third time since Tori left a week ago. I hadn’t missed three workouts in a week ever. The gym was my second home. Now I could barely find the energy to get out of bed and go to the bathroom.
“I was willing to be indulgent with you for a little while, but now it’s time to get off your ass and get your head back in the game. No broad is worth bombing your career.”
Somehow, I managed to get to my feet. I stumbled toward him. My legs were considerably less stable than I expected. “She’s not a broad.” I shoved my finger into his chest.
Nigel carefully removed my finger. He didn’t even flinch, which normally I would have considered impressive. Now it just served to piss me off. People were supposed be afraid of me, after all. I shook my head hearing Tori in my head saying I needed people to like me, not be afraid of me. I hated that she’d wiggled her way into my psyche so easily.
“Fine. Ms. Ellis isn’t worth your career. You’ve got a fight to focus on. This is ridiculous, Champ. It’s a girl. We’re talking about the rest of your life here.”
I took a step backward and spread my arms wide. “I thought this is what you wanted, Nigel. Bad Boy Nichols ready and reporting for service.”
Nigel wrinkled his nose. “Have you showered recently? I want a clean-shaven playboy with gorgeous women on either arm. That is what the sponsors want. Not a drunkard who looks forty instead of twenty-seven. I’m not one to judge someone’s capacity to drink himself into a stupor, but you have to draw the line somewhere when you pay the bills with that same body.”
I laughed. It was a harsh sound. “I can’t even believe I’m getting preached at by the patron saint of booze and boobs. You make the drunk who falls off the bar stool look like a saint, Nigel.”
If my words affected him, he gave no sign of it. Instead, he looked at his watch with a grimace. “We can stand here and gab, or you can take some of that finely tuned energy to the gym and beat it out of a boxing bag with Hammer roaring in your ear.”
“Swell,” I said. I belched and tasted bourbon. A lot of it. I knew I wasn’t getting rid of him, and I was frankly surprised Hammer hadn’t made an appearance as well. I could only avoid that crotchety bastard for so long. I turned to go the bathroom. “Give me fifteen.”
“Don’t forget to bring your suit with you. We have the last of those ridiculous charity appearances this afternoon. Once that’s done, no more of that shit for you.”
“Then cancel it,” I said. I felt a twinge of guilt, but who the fuck cared? Nigel had already sat down with the new PR agent Kommen and Russell sent over to manage my press affairs. I hadn’t met the guy yet, but Nigel seemed satisfied with him. That was one small favor that had come out of the whole thing. Nigel and I were on slightly better terms. That made my whole life a lot easier.
“Are you sure? You seemed pretty set on keeping all of them last week,” Nigel said.
I turned and glared at him. “I said, cancel it.” I stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me.
Standing under the spray of the hot water was torture because it did nothing but remind me of the many showers I took with Tori. Having her pressed up against the tile as I rammed inside of her, hearing her call my name as she came sucking every last bit of cum out of my willing cock had been my own personal nirvana. I leaned my forehead against the tiles and groaned.
The woman was like a drug, and this addict was having one hell of a withdrawal. I had to remind myself she was the one that left without a word of explanation. The morning after the interview with Georgie, Nigel told me he’d gotten a call from Kommen and Russell informing him Tori had asked to be removed from supporting me. It was a shitty way to quit, especially after everything we’d been through.
Against my better judgement and Nigel’s advice, I called her. Usually it was in the middle of the night when I was three sheets to the wind and my cock was rock hard wanting nothing more than her twisting and moaning underneath me. I craved her smell and her laugh. My temper had been closer to the surface than I ever remembered.
I just wanted her to explain it to me. I didn’t understand how she could leave and pretend nothing ever happened between us. Nigel kept telling me I was better off without her, that I had been nothing but a stepping stone on her climb to the top of her career ladder. When she never picked up and didn’t return my calls, even after several embarrassing voicemails, I stopped calling.
I stopped calling and I started drinking.
Nigel was right about one thing. Hammer beat the shit out of me for eight hours straight that afternoon. When he was through, I was ready to get down on my knees and beg for mercy, except I knew it wouldn’t have done any good. Hammer was pissed off and dour. He didn’t say anything about my absences or the fact everyone on the crew seemed to know it had to do with Tori. He seemed content to let his physical onslaught speak for itself in terms of his displeasure with my behavior.
After a long shower, I emerged from the locker room ready to head back to my hotel room and sleep for a decade. Nigel wasn’t wrong when he said I’d sweat out the liquor. It was the first time my head felt clear in a week. Maybe I’d lay off the booze for the night. My sleep might improve. I shook my head. The only thing that would improve my sleep would be Tori’s naked body curled into mine.
I stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the gym. Someone called my name.
“Mr. Nichols? Mr. Nichols?” I turned and saw a petite woman approach holding the hand of a boy who couldn’t have been more than five or six. He wore a beanie on his head, but I could tell he was bald underneath.
“Can I help you?” I asked with hesitation.
“I’m Mary King. This is my son, Ryan,” she said, indicating the boy.
“Mrs. King. Hello, Ryan,” I said, nodding to the boy who stared up at me with that star-struck gaze I knew all too well. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m so sorry to bother you, Mr. Nichols, but Ryan is such a fan. He was so looking forward to meeting you today, but then we found out that you canceled your appearance. He’s had so much disappointing news recently I just couldn’t tell him he wasn’t going to get to meet you today after all.”
I felt a twist in my gut. I had so casually canceled my appearance today, like it didn’t matter to anyone other than me. I’d forgotten there were people on the other end too. I ran a hand through my hair trying to appear as contrite as possible. “I’m sorry about that. I have a busy practice schedule with the upcoming fight.”
“I understand,” she said, though I could tell by her tone she didn’t. “Would you mind signing an autograph for Ryan? It would mean the world to him.”
I came down onto my haunches so I could look the kid in the eye. He was pale and thin, but I smiled at him. He smiled back. That one change seemed to light him up from the inside.
“How are you today, Ryan?”
He leaned in toward his mother, but his eyes didn’t leave mine. “I feel good today,” he said, soft.
“I’m glad to hear that. I’d like to make it up to you. Would you like to come to the fight next week?”
He twisted up and looked at his mother with an exclamation of glee. “Can we, Mom?”
“Oh, that seems quite generous of Mr. Nichols, but those kinds of things are usually way after your bedtime. And you need your rest.”
Ryan looked crestfallen. Mary handed me a sheet of paper. I took it from her and realized it was a sports magazine that was published right after the Olympics. She had it open to the center profile article where I was featured. I took the marker from her hand and looked back at Ryan.
“So, what do you want to be when you grow up, Ryan?” I kept my attention focused on him. That was another thing Tori told me to do. She said for kids who were sick, meeting me was possibly the biggest thing that ever happened to them. I owed it to them to give them my full and undivided attention and make them feel special.
“I want to be a boxer,” he said shyly.
His smiled brightened even more. I had no idea what the future held for this kid, but I hoped no one would take away his dreams. I reached out to shake his hand and he hesitantly put it into mine. “I tell you what. Just in case your mom decides to let you stay up late because you’ve been so good all week, I’ll leave you a couple of tickets at the door for you. How does that sound?”
Ryan squealed in delight and surprised the hell out of me when he crossed the space between us and threw his arms around my neck. I gruffly gave him a squeeze back. It wasn’t until it was too late I heard the unpleasant sound of a camera’s shutter whirling in the background.
I released Ryan and stood up. Sure enough, there was a photographer leaning against a car across the street taking our picture. I felt the anger that had been building up inside my chest ready to explode.
“Excuse me a moment.” I strode across the street. The reporter straightened as he continued to take pictures of my approach. “You’re going to delete all of those pictures and get the hell out of here now,” I said.
“Sorry, friend. I get paid by the photo. A guy’s gotta make a living,” the reporter said. He was tall and thin. His pasty white complexion told me he didn’t spend a lot of time out in the sun. He was dressed in black jeans and an ’80s band t-shirt even though he was probably pushing fifty.
“I’m not your friend,” I said. I felt my fingers ball into fists at my sides. “It’s one thing to take pictures of me, but you can’t take that little boy’s photo and make money off it. That’s sick and twisted. Delete the fucking pictures.”
He started to open the car door. “Like I said, sorry.”
I grabbed the door and slammed it closed. I moved so there was less than an inch separating us. “I asked you nicely. Now, I’m not asking at all. You will delete those pictures.”
He protested, but I grabbed the camera and twisted it out of his hands. I tried to figure out the right button to call the pictures up on the screen so I could be sure they were deleted, but my fingers were clumsy and I didn’t know what I was doing. The guy tried to grab the camera back.
It all came to a head in those few seconds. The crash and burn interview with Georgie. Tori hightailing it out of town without a goodbye. Months of being stalked and chased by these kinds of slimy vultures. I held the object of all my rage in my hands and I did the only thing I could think of to make me feel better.
I smashed that fucker to the ground before slamming the heel of my foot down on it. The satisfying crunch of glass breaking following.”
“What the fuck, man! That’s my camera. You’re going to get it for this. You’re a goddamn fucking lunatic!” the reporter screamed at me.
I grabbed his shirt and twisted the cheap fabric into my fists, hauling him up to my face. “I catch you taking pictures of me again, I’m going to beat the living shit out of you. You got me?”
Then he did the unthinkable. He spat in my face. I lost my shit then. All I knew when I came out of the red stupor of hazy rage was that Hammer and Nigel were holding my arms and the reporter was a bloody mess on the ground. He cursed at me even though I was sure his nose was broken. His words came out slurred through a mouthful of blood.
“Shaun!” Hammer yelled in my ear. “Shaun, stop!”
I finally stopped struggling against them. I felt the air in my chest release. I heard sirens in the distance and I knew they were coming for me. The sound of a child crying penetrated my senses.
I looked behind me. Mary was holding Ryan in her arms. He was sobbing into her chest. If looks could kill I’d be dead in my tracks. She gathered him up into her arms and carried him across the parking lot before settling him into a car. I was sure only of one thing—There were two tickets for my upcoming fight that were going to go unused.
As I looked back down at the blubbering, bloody man at my feet threatening to sue me for everything I was worth, I realized there might not even be a fight. Not if I was in jail. Fuck it. Maybe that was where I belonged.
Tori
I read the news article in shock and disbelief. Shaun was booked on assault and battery for beating the shit out of a reporter. Kevin called with the abbreviated version of the story. He was up to his eyeballs trying to smooth things over with the press.
Shaun posted bail and wasn’t going to get any jail time because the reporter ended up dropping the charges. Kevin told me it was because Nigel advised Shaun to pay him off, so Shaun wrote the check. My heart ached as I read the details of the story.
The whole thing was witnessed by a young boy who was undergoing cancer treatment and his mother. The woman had been interviewed by at least half-dozen media outlets already. The details were simple and damning. Shaun was scheduled for an appearance at her son’s hospital but canceled it at the last minute. She had a friend of a friend who told her where Shaun worked out when he was in town. She took her kid to see him and get an autograph.
When Shaun realized the scene was being photographed, he went ape-shit. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my temples. The whole thing reeked of a set-up. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out the woman’s ‘friend of a friend’ was Nigel. Needless to say, the press was having a field day with the story.
The statement that Kevin got approval to release on Shaun’s behalf was short and sweet.
Representatives for Mr. Nichols commented it was an unfortunate situation that simply escalated in the worst possible way. Mr. Nichols would like to send his sincere apologies to Mrs. King, her son, and Willy Copeland for his behavior.
Willy Copeland was the reporter.
All the work we had done was going down the toilet. Shaun was right back at square one being perceived by the public as a loose cannon with a short fuse. Kevin usually dealt with CEOs and investment bankers. Working with someone who got real media attention like Shaun was out of his league, but I didn’t trust anyone else in the firm to work with him.
I needed to do something. I tapped my pen on the notebook in front of me and dialed Kevin’s number.
“What a circus,” he answered.
“How is he?” I asked. I tried to make the question nonchalant, but we both knew why I was asking.
“Part of the agreement of Willy dropping the charges was Shaun seeing a therapist. That stipulation isn’t going down so well with Shaun, but he’s managing to keep his temper in check,” Kevin said. I heard him pull in a deep breath. “He’s not good, Tori.”
“This is all wrong. He was set-up, Kevin. It’s been less than twelve hours and that kid’s mother has been on every major network. She’s been talking about how if she had known that Shaun had such a temper, she never would have allowed her son anywhere near him, that the kid is traumatized after seeing his hero beat the crap out of someone else.”
“To be fair, that is what he does for a living,” Kevin said.
“Not funny, Kevin,” I replied with a sigh. “This is getting worse.”
“Nigel has said a few things to me that are a bit strange,” Kevin said. He lowered his voice as if he was afraid someone was listening. “I think he’s offering to give me a cut of the profits if I go along with what he has planned and stay out of the way.”
I sat up in my chair. “You can’t do that, Kevin. Wait. Did he flat out try to bribe you?”
“No. He just insinuated it would be highly profitable for me to get along with him.”
“The fight is three days from now, right?” I pulled up a web browser and started searching flights.
“You know it is,” he said.
“I need a ticket and cover,” I said. “We’re going to fight back, Kevin. I can’t let him do this to Shaun.”
“What about the picture?” he asked. “If Nigel finds out you’re here, he’ll flip.”
“I’ll deal with it,” I said. “That’s what I do. I fix things. I owe it to Shaun to fix this.”
“I love it when you go all MacGyver on me. What do you want me to do?”
“Let me think about it. I’ll call you when I land,” I said. “Just tell me you won’t talk to Nigel about it again until I tell you to.”
“You’re the boss,” he said.
Three days later, I stuck to the crowds as I made my way toward the arena for the fight. Butterflies twirled in my stomach. I was finally going to be able to see Shaun again. Even if I couldn’t actually speak to him while I was there, it would set my soul at ease to see him and make sure he was okay.
Kevin said Shaun had settled down since the incident with Willy Copeland. He’d cut out the booze and was spending every waking minute in the gym with Hammer. It was probably just as well. Hordes of reporters now followed his every move hurling insults his way hoping to get under his skin enough to cause another outburst. So far, Shaun wasn’t rising to the bait.
I had my hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and wore a pair of ripped, faded jeans and a loose black tee. I kept my make-up toned down and subdued, and finished it off with a pair of cheap reading glasses I picked up at the drug store. As far as disguises went, it wasn’t the best, but I figured it would make me at least a little less recognizable. Nigel would be on the lookout for the professional-looking Tori, not grunge Tori.
Kevin left me a ticket to the fight at the front desk of my hotel, so I was able to slip past the ticket takers relatively easily. I kept my head low as I headed for the lower deck inside the arena. I wanted a seat that gave me a great view of the fight but kept me away from the potentially prying eyes of Nigel.
I knew he would be with Shaun in the locker room right up ’til fight time. Following that, he and Kevin would have front row seats ringside for the fight. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, so I didn’t think he’d be looking for me. Plus, Kevin told me he had gone the extra mile and told Nigel I was out of the country working with a new client on the Formula One circuit, a Mr. Andy Fortes. Hopefully, that would provide just the cover I needed for what I had up my sleeve. It was either going to set me free or send my life up in a blazing hot inferno that would take years to fix. I was sincerely hoping for the former.
