“Ha! Touché,” Miko said with confidence. “But I just bought a condo in Georgetown; it comes with two spots and I only have one car, so I could always put the supercar there.”
“You think daddy will fork over a quarter of a million so you can fill a spot?” King replied. “Good luck with that.”
“My father doesn’t need to give me anything. I have my own money, Knox. Just like you.”
OK, this is getting weird. Everyone calls King by that nickname, even me. Miko was proving a point by using his real name, though I don’t know what that point is. I could sense that this was turning into a “thing”, so I changed the subject quickly.
“Well, hello, baby!” I said before giving King a kiss. “I’m glad you could join us before we sat down.”
When I turned back around, I noticed that Miko was now talking with Dylan. Good, it seems like we avoided drama for now.
“I’m just glad I got down here before your ex-boyfriend put the moves on you,” King said.
I rolled my eyes; I know he’s right—that Miko is interested in me—but my focus is to dissolve any bad feelings that arise so I didn’t respond.
Dinner went smoothly—no more interactions between Miko and King occurred. I’m sure it helped that I purposely chose to sit where Miko couldn’t make eye contact with King or me.
Afterward, we were all so worn out that we decided to call it a night—who would have thought that driving cars for a few hours could be so tiring? We made plans to meet at the Paris hotel for brunch the next morning, then we all dispersed to our hotel rooms.
I walked out of the elevator and into our suite; the first thing I saw was a vase full of large, black roses on the coffee table in the living room. I looked at King and his clenched jaw told me that he didn’t know who sent them.
“These weren’t here when you left?” I asked.
“Nope.”
I pulled the card out of the flowers—my name was written on the envelope, so I opened it.
I’m choosing King. Enjoy him while you still can. Layla
“Why on earth would she send these? Can’t you keep me out of this?” I asked.
I was confused. How does her sending me flowers play into the promo stories they’re trying to spread? King wrapped his arms around me from behind.
“Babe, the agreement Giorgio and I made said he’d have no communication with us after the fight. I knew we’d do some press. I didn’t know they’d turn it into a circus. Layla signed the same agreement, as did Giorgio’s manager, so there’s not much I can do legally until after the fight. But here’s what we’ll do for now, I’ll send Giorgio a text telling him to make his girl back down, making it obvious that it’s all bullshit so they can’t use my text against us. We’ll also not react publicly to the flowers at all. If we don’t react, the story dies.”
King took the note from my hand and turned me around.
“Just ignore it, they’re like a bunch of Chihuahuas barking and nipping at our heels. Annoying, but harmless.”
I rolled my eyes, and walked to the bench in the entrance to take off my shoes. I’m tired, and really not in the mood to deal with this right now. And to be honest, the roses are beautiful…they’re large and fresh with long stems. I smiled.
“Let them play their games. I like the smell of fresh roses in the room. That’s all this is to me,” I said.
“Let me check the site. I’d bet my life that there’s something about this on there,” King said, sitting down on the sofa and grabbing his laptop.
I didn’t care enough to check into it—I just wanted to get comfortable so I went to put PJs on. When I walked back out to the living room, King showed me what was on the site.
It was a picture of Layla at the flower shop in our hotel with a caption that read “Flowers for the Backup” and a close-up—so you can read what the note said—of her writing my name on the card.
I feigned insult, gasping dramatically and whined, “Why do they keep calling me the backup? That’s annoying.”
King smiled. “It’s all part of the story they’re creating. Hopefully, the game gets boring to them soon.”
Honestly, I don’t care. Between the petty stories Giorgio’s side keeps creating and Miko’s newfound interest in me, I was mentally over this whole ordeal and already looking forward to going home and getting away from all of this.
King and I went to bed shortly after we got home and we slept like babies. I probably could’ve slept longer, but my phone vibrated and woke me up; Tori asked me to bring her lip-gloss and wallet with me to brunch—she put them in my purse last night because she didn’t have one with her. I’m glad she texted me, I may have missed brunch otherwise.
“Babe,” I whispered.
King didn’t respond. I realized he’s still sleeping deeply, which is good—he needs sleep. So, I quietly left the bed and quickly got ready for brunch; I had ten minutes to meet the crew downstairs and it took almost that much time to get from our room to the lobby.
When I arrived, Tori and Miko simultaneously asked “where’s King?” but with two very different tones in their voices. I explained he was still sleeping and I didn’t want to bother him. I’m sure brunch is not something he’s interested in today; he had to train and do things for the fight.
King wasn’t the only one of us to not meet up for brunch. Emelia, Magnus, Claudia, Kevin, and Jude didn’t come either. So it was just Tori, Asli, Viv, Dylan, Miko, and me. Not surprisingly, Miko sat next to me at the table—it was a round table and I was the first to sit down, so I couldn’t really choose a seat that would guarantee I’d be away from him.
Luckily, nothing out of the ordinary happened during brunch. King sent me a text after we’d ordered saying that he was going to the gym, but we’d meet up in a couple of hours. That never happened—my girls wanted to make this a dedicated girls’ day and I was in the mood for some serious shopping.
We went straight to the Forum shops after brunch; Emelia met us there. And boy did we shop…for clothes, bags, shoes, makeup…you name it, we bought it.
We had a light and fun day of hanging out, full of laughs and without discussion about King’s upcoming fight. We only stopped shopping to take breaks at a bar to grab a quick bite, or a café for a coffee. We weren’t rushed, and we hit every major shopping area on the strip before we were done. Luckily, we had one of the Ranges with us—the trunk was barely large enough to fit all of our bags.
As the day turned in to evening, we started planning our night out, and we decided on the nightclub in our hotel. We were all tired and wanted a fairly low-maintenance night, but to still go out and have a little fun. I was alone in the suite getting ready; King was still at the gym, or doing interviews, but we’d been communicating every hour or so.
I asked if he wanted to join us at the nightclub, but I wasn’t surprised when he said no. He wasn’t drinking until after the fight and I know how much it sucks to be around drunk people when you’re dead sober, so I didn’t push it. Plus, he wants to get sleep and not stay up too late.
By the time I arrived at the nightclub and met up with my friends, it was pretty late already, so I sent him a text telling him to just go to sleep and I’d quietly crawl into bed when I got home. I did find it strange that he responded to my texts, but never said anything personal and kept the texts to one or two words. The texts were short and to the point, as if he were busy and couldn’t be troubled to write more.
That kind-of bothered me. Maybe that’s why I drank too much, or maybe I was just spending a night with my girls and letting loose? Either way, I had too much to drink. None of the guys came out with us, and Claudia went out with Kevin alone. So it was just my close friends and me—and we were living it up, Vegas style.
I was in one of those rare moods where I felt no pressures of life, had no schedule I had to adhere to, and really not a care in the world except to have a good time. The music was awesome and pumping through my body, practically forcing me to dance. Everyone around
us was having fun as well, so it was easy to fall into pace. I wanted to laugh and dance and party. It was nice to spend a frivolous day with my friends and not think about the impending fight that seems to be taking over King’s life.
Towards the end of the night, after one too many short, unemotional texts, I started to feel like he’s keeping something from me. And I know King—he would have no problem not telling me something if he thinks it would bother me. He would feel that he was protecting me.
But I brushed that thought aside, every time it reared up. For now, I felt good, and we were all having a good time.
A few hours into our girls-night-out, Dylan surprised Tori on the dance floor, and gave her one of his sexy smiles that took her attention away from us. Viv and I giggled until I noticed that Miko was standing next to me.
He wasn’t dancing; he was just standing there staring at me. I looked at him and smiled, and he smiled back with a glazed-over smirk. I know Miko enough to know that he’s had a few drinks—as have I. It was a bad situation that I should’ve steered clear of.
Slowly, Miko stepped toward me and put a hand on my hip as he started to sway to the music in pace with me. I let him dance with Asli and me for a couple of songs, trying to make it obvious that the three of us were dancing together. I didn’t mind; I was having fun and Miko wasn’t doing anything that I considered stepping over the boundaries.
Until, that is, Asli went to the restroom and Miko started to dance closer to me. I looked around for Viv, but didn’t see her; I guess she went to the table to hang with Emelia. And Tori and Dillon are in each other’s arms. So it was just Miko and I dancing together.
He whispered in my ear how much he loved dancing with me, and that we didn’t dance together enough when we dated. Strangely, I didn’t pull away from him but I put my hand on his chest to be sure that he kept his distance. I think he took the move as an invitation.
He moved even closer to me and held me so tight. It felt nice to be held in the chaos of the nightclub, and he felt just as comforting as he was when I was with him. But this was different; this was more mature; I could feel the tension growing between us with each beat of the music. He’s changed so much, but he’s still my childhood friend that I instinctually trust.
I got lost in his touch…his cologne…his rhythm. We swayed with each other off the beat of the music and I found myself moving my hand from his chest to his arm, and slowly up to his shoulder. I could have—likely would have—stayed there for a long time, but he brought our reality into the moment.
“Ava, I miss you,” he said while he pulled me closer to him.
“Shouldn’t you be missing Shannon?” I asked, trying to deflect.
“Shannon’s great, but she’s not you.”
“I’m dating King. You know that,” I reminded him.
“Yeah? Where is he?”
“Oh my gosh, I don’t have to be with the guy twenty-four seven. Where were you the majority of the time we dated?”
“And that’s exactly why we’re not anymore. King’s slacking—he really should have learned from my mistakes.”
“Not even close, Miko. I’m with him every single day, and every single night. If we have separate plans here and there, that doesn’t mean he’s slacking. It means he has a life outside of me.”
“OK, OK. Calm down,” he said with his hands in the air in a playful act of defense. “I’m just noting that I’m out with you now…we’re dancing. It’s kind of a turn of events, isn’t it?”
He was referring to the night King and I kissed while I was still dating Miko. The night that changed my life—the night that King finally broke through the wall I tried my hardest to build between us. It all started with us dancing at a nightclub. I wanted to be with him so much that night. And now that I’m thinking about it, I want to be with him right now just as much.
I stopped dancing and stepped out of Miko’s hold to see a very confused look on his face. It might have seemed like my emotions were wavering, but I was so sure of what I wanted and so positive of where my heart stands.
“No, Miko. This is not a turn of events.”
His brows furrowed in confusion, but I didn’t bother to explain myself to him. My tolerance for drama is reaching its limit these days. I turned and walked back to our table without looking back, and sent King a text. And I did something I’ve never done before—I told him I wanted to see him. Now.
I’ve avoided becoming too demanding on King’s time because he has always dropped everything to see me or do what I need. I know that asking to see him now means he’ll cut off whatever he’s doing in preparation for the fight to be at my disposal. I know I’m being a brat about this—with all he has going on right now—but that interaction with Miko, after King being so distant all day, left me feeling…weird.
I was in no way considering letting Miko get too close—that’s not why I feel weird. I think I feel off because I don’t like that someone, anyone, is trying to get in between King and I. At least, I hoped that’s what is making me feel off. I hope it wasn’t that I really enjoyed Miko’s holding me. I’ve been trying to keep him from getting too angry with Miko about his clear affection for me, but now I’m wondering if I need to send Miko a more sincere message. And I hated to admit—even just to myself—that his interest in me was flattering.
I sat at our table and put my phone in my lap, waiting for King’s response. At the moment, I just wanted to be alone with him. All the drinking and partying, having security around all the time, and the flowers and fight-related bullshit that’s gone on this week is now coming down on me. Miko’s interest in me just puts the icing on the cake, I feel like I need some time to ground myself.
I’ll be there in twenty minutes. OK?
I smiled to myself and responded that I’ll see him then. Then I told Asli and Emelia, who were sitting at the table with me, that I’m calling it a night as soon as he arrives.
I have no idea where Miko went after I walked away from him, but he’s not at the table, so I hope that I can sneak out without having to say goodbye to him. I’ve had my fill of my ex-boyfriend flirting with me tonight.
I was still at the table, nursing a drink and talking to Emelia and Asli, when I got a text asking where I was. I looked to the dance floor and giggled. King, at six feet and four inches tall, was easy to spot over the crowd. And he came straight from the gym—he had on a black sweat suit, white Adidas, and was carrying his gym bag. But the bummy attire didn’t turn off any of the girls on the dance floor—they were all smiling at him and moving closer.
I picked up my purse and said bye to the girls then walked through the crowded dance floor to where he stood, talking to Dylan and looking around. He spotted me and his eyes never left mine until I reached him. He pulled me into his chest by my waist, lifting me a few inches off the ground, and held my head with his other hand to kiss me—the kiss was strong, and desperate. And he didn’t stop, as if we were the only two in the room rather than in the middle of hundreds.
It was just like our first kiss—my hands felt the bulging muscles on his arms and his hands were holding on to me like his life depended on it, while his lips made love to mine. I felt every movement of his kiss heat up my body more and more.
When he tipped my head to the side and sucked on my neck, I let out a small moan. I felt truly relaxed not realizing I was tense to begin with, and completely at his mercy, giving in to his touch. This week of annoyance was worth this one kiss.
“Get a room, you guys,” I heard Tori joke.
King stopped kissing me, and stared in my eyes with a smile on his face.
“I like that I can make you moan like that,” he whispered in my ear before slowly letting me free from his hold, but keeping an arm around me. “My apologies, Tori. I just couldn’t resister her. We’re going to our room now, to finish this in private.”
Tori giggled and waved us goodbye.
As soon as we were inside our room, I went to take my makeup off in the bathroom
. While I waited for the water to get hot, I stared at myself in the mirror trying to figure out what I felt with Miko back on that dance floor. I couldn’t understand. But I was sure of one thing—something was there and I needed to get rid of it. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I started to get pissed at King—if he was acting like a better boyfriend, the door that Miko’s pushing open wouldn’t even be cracked. Wait, how can I put this on him?
I suddenly had a strong urge to get clean, so I turned off the faucet and turned on the shower instead. I stripped off my clothes and waited for the bathroom to steam up before stepping in. I let the hot water wash over me and soaped up my face to take my makeup off. It felt so good to be back in our room and in the hot shower; and to be alone for a minute to get my shit together. I put my hand on the warm stone tile and let the water fall over me. How can I let Miko get to me like that?
“May I come in?” I heard King ask from the bathroom doorway.
“Please,” I said, rinsing my face off, glad that he interrupted my thoughts.
He opened the shower door and stared at me for a moment. I reached out to him to encourage him to step under the water with me. A shower with King is exactly what I need.
He stepped inside the shower and he put his arms around me, and then pulled me into his chest. I took a deep breath and allowed the feeling of security to sweep over me. It’s these arms, and this scent, and this man that’s right for me. Anything else would be settling. I feel whole when I’m with him; his presence can wipe away any bad emotions that I have…even ones caused by him.
I apologized for asking to see him, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He reminded me that I’m his first priority, and made me admit why I needed him. It was hard to articulate, all things considered, but I boiled it down to feeling raw. I’ve not seen too much of him these last few days, and with all the going out and drinking, and how I actually was bothered by the articles and pictures online, and I just felt the need to be with him. Of course, I left out anything related to Miko.
Guys Like You Page 11
