Dark Horse

by Wilde, Rhea

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.”

  I wasn’t sure if Maxwell was telling me the truth but I thought it was pointless to try and get it out of him. The fact that Henry continued to turn me down let me know that he was hiding something or someone from me.

  “What else do you know about him?” I asked.

  “I don’t really know much. He lives by himself in some rundown apartment. He was trying to find a job when I found him. He’s not as complicated as you might think he is.”

  “And what makes you think I’m thinking that way?”

  “Because you’re asking me so many questions about him.”

  I turned around and headed toward the window of my suite. I looked down upon the city, still unhappy with the answers Maxwell had given me.

  “Where is he right now?” I asked.

  “He’s at the gym. I was watching him train. He’s working real hard, Lanea. He’s making some real progress.”

  “Tell him that I want to see him as soon as he’s finished.”

  “I’ll let him know—”

  “Tell him this is about business. Otherwise, he’ll get the wrong idea.”

  “It’s all about business, Lanea.”

  I turned around and Maxwell nodded his head to me before leaving. I sat in my suite and waited for the hours to pass until I would see Henry again. Octavio provided me little entertainment while I waited. I eventually received a phone call from Maxwell telling me that Henry was on his way. I felt a little bit of excitement building in the pit of my stomach.

  I prepared for his arrival as best I could. I put on a petite black dress that showed off my figure perfectly. I had some people come in to do my hair and makeup just right. Then I stepped into a pair of heels and waited for him to arrive. The door opened and Octavio stepped in with Henry just behind him.

  I watched Henry’s eyes as he glanced at my body. It was only for a second. That’s all I needed to know that there was some blood running through his veins. I hid the smile that was beginning to creep on my face and looked him up and down. Henry stood there in a pair of sweats and a loose t-shirt. His clothes were dark and matched his face as every inch of him was covered in sweat.

  “What’s this?” I said as I held my hand out to him.

  “What?”

  “This. I bought you a new wardrobe and you step into my suite dressed like that.”

  “I just got back from the gym and—”

  “Did you forget what the hell we were trying to do? You’re supposed to look like a pretty boy, not some guy who actually knows what he’s doing. People are going to see you and get the wrong idea.”

  I raised my voice at him. I suppose it was because I had grown frustrated with our current relationship. Henry was defying most of my orders at nearly every turn.

  I went through all this trouble for you and you didn’t even bother dressing up. Why am I even trying any more?

  “Well, you’re going to have to change,” I said to him. “Hurry up and clean yourself up.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Dinner, Henry. We’re going to have dinner. There are a lot of people, rich people, who are going to see us together. When they do, they’ll put all of their money on Wilson. Just as we planned all along. Remember?”

  “Yeah. I—”

  “The bathroom is that way. I’ll have Octavio pick some of your clothes up. Just go.”

  I didn’t know why I was so upset at him. All of my frustrations must have finally been boiling over. Henry didn’t seem to mind. He ignored most of my displeasure and disappeared into the bathroom. I sat on my sofa and sipped on a drink while I listened to the sound of the shower. I would have answered my curiosity about what he looked like completely naked but I decided that I would play along with him. This was about business. It was always about business. I had to keep it that way.

  Henry stepped out of the shower and got dressed in the outfit Octavio had picked out for him. Henry stood there in a black suit that was tailored just for his body. He looked better than he did just the other day because his hair was freshly washed. I stood up from my seat and walked over to him, examining him closely.

  “Good,” I said. “Now let’s go.”

  Henry and I headed in my limo to a restaurant in the city. It was one of the few spots that I knew a lot of bettors liked to frequent. When we stepped out of the limo, a few photographers were there to take photos of us for the tabloids. I wrapped my arm around Henry’s as we walked in.

  “Remember,” I whispered into his ear. “You’re not a fighter. You’re just arm candy. So try to look good.”

  Henry didn’t say anything. He just continued to walk rigidly with me into the restaurant. As soon as we stepped in, we were greeted by a man I had seen many times before.

  “Lanea, so good to see you,” the man said to me.

  “It’s nice to see you, too, Lucas.”

  Lucas was an old man who’d made his fortune by buying up smaller companies before they outgrew his own. I didn’t even know what he did at this point. I only knew that he had several business involved in different sectors that resulted in millions of dollars in his bank accounts. But he was in the fight game for the same reason I was: It was just another high.

  He had a lot of energy for a man his age. His male pattern baldness had taken away most of the white hairs still on his head but he still managed to smile like nothing was wrong. I suppose he had every reason to smile. He wasn’t the most handsome man in the world but dressing in a suit and having a lot of money in his pocket was enough to draw female interest. A lot of women in this social circle tend to overlook things like wrinkles and liver spots.

  “And who is this strapping young lad?” he said as he looked Henry up and down.

  “Lucas, I’d like you to meet Henry,” I said to him. “He’s a new friend of mine.”

  “New friend? Well, it’s not often you make a new friend, Lanea. You do look somewhat familiar though, Henry.”

  Lucas narrowed his eyes and looked closely at Henry’s face. I did the same and noticed that some of the bruises on his face hadn’t completely healed. There were some things soap couldn’t wash away.

  “I was in the arena a few nights ago,” Henry said. “Just one fight.”

  “Ah, yes!” Lucas said, nodding his head. “That’s it. A dubious performance but you got the win. Some might say you were playing possum and just toying with the poor kid. A hustle, the young kids would call it.”

  “Now, Lucas,” I interrupted him. “You know that I would never fix any of my fights. You always see the better fighter win.”

  “Of course, Ms. Zara. What was I thinking?”

  I chuckled along with Lucas before I excused myself. I tugged on Henry’s arm and we headed toward our table in the corner of the restaurant, secluded from everyone else. Henry sat across from me, his posture rigid and formal as it always was.

  “Relax,” I said to him.

  “What?”

  “You’re as stiff as a board.”

  “What does that matter, Lanea?”

  “Listen, Henry. I don’t care what you do in the gym or the ring. But when you’re with me, you can’t act like some kind of machine. When they see you fight, you want them to think that you’re going to lose. You’re not a robot for goodness sake.”

  “Fine.”

  He exhaled a sharp breath and drooped lower in his seat. Despite his best efforts, he still managed to look like he was sitting up straight. It must have been because of his broad shoulders and the way his suit fit on his body. For some reason, the sight was comical to me and I started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked me.

  “Nothing,” I said while I did my best to contain my amusement. “I guess you can’t help it…”

  “Help what?”

  “You still look like a robot.”

  “I don’t know what else you want from me, Lanea.”

  “I… I’m sorry. It’s just od
d.”

  Did I just apologize to him? What are you doing, Lanea? You can’t talk to him like that.

  I shook my head and tried to ignore everything I just said to him. The waiter arrived and I instructed him to bring something appropriate for a man who had just finished a hard workout. When he left, we were once again alone with one another. Henry looked down at the table, unmoving. I was about to sigh at the sight of him but stopped myself.

  “So, tell me something, Henry.”

  “What?”

  “Tell me something about yourself.”

  “Why do you need to know that?”

  “I’m only curious, Henry. Is that all right with you?”

  “Why does that matter? What does it have to do with our business relationship?”

  I couldn’t help but smirk at his response. I had never met someone who was so defiant with me. Of course, I’d never admit that. I kept everything I could away from Henry. After all, he was right. This was a business relationship.

  “Is there any harm in me knowing a little bit more about you?” I asked. “What if I wanted to get to know you better? Have you considered that possibility?”

  “There’s no need for us to be friends, Lanea.”

  “You’re right. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be. Come on, Henry.”

  “Fine. You want to know something about me then you tell me something about yourself.”

  “Ha! That’s a laugh. Everything you could possibly know about me is in the newspapers.”

  “I don’t read the paper.”

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  I sighed and took a sip of the champagne in front of me. I offered Henry something to drink then remembered that he had to be focused for his upcoming fight.

  “All right, Henry. I’ll play your game. What do you want to know about me?”

  “What do you do?”

  “What do I do?”

  “Yes. What is your job? How do you make a living?”

  “I have millions of dollars, Henry. That’s how I make my living.”

  “Where did that money come from?”

  “…My parents. They worked hard and when they passed I inherited all of their money.”

  “Ah, I see. A little girl who hasn’t worked a day in her life luckily stumbled upon a family fortune. What a wonderful story.”

  “Yes, it’s quite the fairytale, isn’t it?”

  I had to bite my lip to stop from raising my voice. I narrowed my eyes and stared back at him. I wouldn’t allow him to get under my skin like he was trying to. Worse insults had been thrown my way before.

  “That explains a lot,” he said.

  “Does it, Henry? Perhaps you’d care to enlighten me.”

  “I think you already know.”

  “Please, Henry. Humor me. It’s rare that I come across someone who’s so willing to be honest with me.”

  “Fine. You want me to be honest with you?”

  “Yes, Henry. Don’t be afraid. After all, we still have our business relationship, don’t we?”

  I drank from my glass. Henry hesitated for a moment before he continued.

  “You have more money than you know what to do with,” he said to me. “You walk around with your nose in the air like you’re better than everybody else. And you know what? You probably are. You’re able to afford every opportunity to improve yourself because of your fortune. And you didn’t even have to work for it. Your parents were probably throwing money at you before you were even walking.

  “And now that you’re sitting on a pile of cash with nothing better to do, you have men beat the shit out of one another for your own amusement.

  “That’s right, Lanea. I know you’re up to. I don’t read the paper but I’m not an idiot. This isn’t just about you making even more money so you can win a bet. This is about parading around a guy, me, so you can impress everybody who has their eyes on you.”

  I swallowed and looked away from Henry after he finally stopped talking. Even though we were far away from the other diners, I did my best not to stand up and bite his head off. But just when I thought he was finished, he continued.

  “You’re an arrogant, smug little rich girl,” he said to me. “I’ll play along. But only up to the point that it’s necessary.”

  Henry took a sip of his water to clear his throat. He didn’t look at me after he finished. I started to chuckle to myself, smiling back at him. I didn’t know what it was but I was confused. I should have been insulted by everything he said to me. But nobody had ever put it to me in that manner. I found myself struggling to find a response.

  “Thank you, Henry. It’s rare that anybody gives me such a candid response. It’s nice to know that my generosity is appreciated.”

  “Your generosity is nothing more than an attempt to get on my good side. It’s not charity if you expect something out of it. But that’s fine. As long as I get my money, I’ll be happy.”

  “You’ll get your money, Henry. Just make sure you win your fight.”

  There was silence between us. Henry had no interest in discussing anything further with me and I had nothing else to say to him. The waiter arrived with our food. Henry and I sat there and enjoyed our dinner separately and together all at the same time. Henry turned his head and looked out at some of the people that were observing us.

  “They’re watching us,” he said.

  “Good. We want them to get the wrong idea about us.”

  Chapter 14 - Lanea

  Tension was building between us but I didn’t mind. I was beginning to understand why I found Henry so intriguing. I had never met a man, fighter or otherwise, that managed to keep me on my toes in this manner. But I would have my way. I always had my way. I just had to figure out what made him tick so I could ease this tension.

  He didn’t say anything on the way back to my suite. I sat in the limo across from him and spread my legs like I did before. Instead of taking a look, Henry turned his head back to the dark sky of the city. I had quickly learned not to grow frustrated with him.

  When we stepped back into my suite, Henry stood at the doorway while I made myself comfortable.

  “I have an early appointment tomorrow morning,” he said. “We’re training bright and early. I’m going to get some rest now.”

  “I’m well aware of how hard you’re training, Henry. But that’s no reason to blow me off so quickly.”

  “I think it is, Lanea. Good night.”

  “Wait!”

  Henry had his hand on the door when I stopped him. I slowly walked over to him and took his other hand into mine. He looked down at it as I gently tried to coax him into the room.

  “Please,” I said to him. “You’ve had dinner with me. What’s the harm in spending just a little bit more time with me?”

  “There is no harm. But I think I have better things to do. So do you.”

  “I don’t, Henry. You of all people should know that. You’ve figured me out already, haven’t you? Please…”

  I gently massaged his hand in both of mine. I could slowly begin to feel his other hand slipping away from the door.

  “Fine,” he said. “I will keep you company for a few moments. Where is Octavio?”

  “Don’t worry about him. He knows how to take care of himself. Now come. Sit with me.”

  I pulled Henry toward the sofa in the center of my suite.

  The lights were dim and the fire was burning in the distant fireplace. Nighttime had fallen over the city. The windows of all the skyscrapers were illuminated like white blocks upon them. From here, it was like looking down upon the rest of the world.

  Henry sat there in the only way he could, stiff and rigid. While I poured myself another glass of champagne, I couldn’t help but laugh at him underneath the dim lights of my suite.

  “Okay,” he sighed. “I’m here. How long do you want me to stay?”

  “Why must you protest to my company, Henry?”

  “We’ve already been over this, Lanea. What
I think about you has nothing to do with our business arrangement.”

  “You’re right. But that still doesn’t mean you have to act the way you’re acting right now.”

  “There’s no other way to act. I won’t give you what you want, Lanea.”

  “And what is it that I want?”

  “You want to use me like you do those fighters in the ring. I won’t allow it. How many times must I tell you how pointless it is?”

  “Is it so pointless, Henry? You’re a man. The same as any other. I’ve felt the beating of your heart in your chest. I know the blood surges through you. You have desires—”

  “I do not desire you, Lanea. You are nothing more than a pompous little rich girl. A brat who whines and complains to get whatever it is she wants. The fact that I’m sitting here right now is proof that I’ve already done too much.”

  “Henry, I—”

  “No. This is so pointless.”

  Henry stood back up from his seat. He grabbed the door handle and I did the same to his arm.

  “Let me go,” he said as he pulled my arm away from him.

  I stopped him from leaving completely by standing in his way. He suddenly wrapped his arms around me and moved me away from the door. I struggled against his arms, kicking my legs in the air at the same time.

  “Stop! Don’t go!” I shouted to him.

  As soon as he put me back down on the ground, I got back in front of the door. He was breathing hard through his nose as he stared at me. My dress had been wrinkled against my body. I brushed my bangs away from my forehead and looked at him.

  “Get out of the way, Lanea. Nothing is going to happen.”

  I stared into his brown eyes. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time was beginning to swirl around in my stomach. The way he looked at me and acted around me was unlike any other man I’d met before. He was putting up a fight. It was too much of a fight. I suddenly found myself almost at his mercy. I didn’t know what had come over me but I suddenly found myself pushing up against his body and wrapping my arms around his neck.

  “Henry, I want—”

  “Stop, Lanea—”

  I reached my head up and pressed my lips against his mouth. I pulled him in with all of my strength, holding him as close to me as I possibly could. He struggled for a moment before freeing me from his grasp. We stared at one another, breathing hard. I looked into his eyes and did my best to seductively make him feel how I did at the moment.