“Any experience in the ring, kid?” Mack asks, piercing me with a somewhat sideways glance, as if he already knows the answer and is waiting for me to confirm his assumptions.
“Not professionally, but I’ve done pretty well in the unofficial circuit,” I answer confidently.
His smirk tells me he knows exactly what I mean. It’s kind of like saying a homemaker is a domestic engineer. It’s the same fucking thing – only the title makes the job sound more appealing. I know this, he knows it, but I’m sticking with my version of it. I would never show anyone that I’m ashamed of it, ashamed that I haven’t made more of myself in all of my 26 years. And I’m not about to start in front of this man, either.
After what feels like a damn eternity, but really was probably less than a minute, our staring contest comes to an end when Mack nods. I hope it’s an approving nod but either way, I’m not leaving here without accomplishing what I set out to do. I will become a professional fighter. I think he sees the determination and complete resolve in my eyes.
Mack holds his gaze directly on mine, his challenge to me is clearly being set. His normally deep voice seems to boom even more as he says, “All right then. Let’s see what you got, kid. Andi, check him out for me – put him through the usual and see if he can hang with the big boys.”
I look over and see the girl of my dreams – both when I’m awake and asleep – is still standing beside me and now she’s looking at me completely different than just a few minutes ago. Another man is standing beside her, eying me in much the same way Mack was doing as he was sizing me up. He looks like he’s an assistant trainer with his sleeveless t-shirt, sweat pants and gym shoes. He’s muscular but not buff like the other fighters in here.
I turn to fully face him and start to speak, “So, Andy, I guess-,“ when my beautiful little vixen suddenly cuts me off.
“Um, Lucas, right?”
I flash her my killer smile, the one that always has the girls falling at my feet. “Just a minute, sweetheart. Let me finish with Andy here and then I’m all yours.”
She smiles back at me, but it’s not the smile I’m expecting. Her smile makes me think of the cat that has a fool-proof plan to eat the canary…but the canary has no clue the cat is even around. It’s a shit-eating grin that frankly would make me a little nervous if I wasn’t so aware of all the manly men watching me right now.
I turn back to Andy and finish, “So, Andy, as I was saying, I’m ready when you are.”
The guy smiles back at me, “I’m Tom. She is Andi,” he says as he gestures toward my little vixen, who is still giving me the same shit-eating grin. Well, isn’t that just fucking great?
CRAZY MAYBE CHAPTER TWO
ANDI
I tried to stop him before he embarrassed himself, but when he so arrogantly dismissed me while smiling at me, I decided to let him open his mouth and insert his foot. Until he choked on it. I’m not even trying to contain my smile and satisfaction at this little triumph. I mean really – that smile he gave me? He might as well have patted me on the head while telling me to go back to the kitchen and fix him a sandwich.
He’s obviously used to silly girls dropping their panties as soon as he flashes them that smile that he immediately thought it would work on me. That’s more than a little insulting since he doesn’t know shit about me. A guy like that is more than a turn off to me – I like a man who is confident but not stuck on himself. And he is definitely stuck on himself. I might just have more than a little fun with this one.
“Lucas, right?” I ask again, not hiding the contempt in my voice at having to ask him the same question twice.
“Yes – but you can call me Luke,” he replies, but this time with much more humility and without the fall-on-your-knees smile.
He’s almost somber, as if his blunder will cost him more than a temporarily bruised ego. It is in this moment that I realize – his dream is in my hands and he knows it. This is actually very humbling for me because I don’t take this part of my job here lightly. There’s a different fleeting emotion in his eyes that I can’t quite place before it’s quickly masked, but I know better than to mess with his head right now.
I hold out my hand, palm up, as I say, “Give me your hand.” He gives me a skeptical look for a few seconds, as if he’s weighing whether or not I’m serious, so I raise my eyebrows and incline my head toward his hands, silently giving him the command again. He raises one hand and I cover it with both of mine.
While holding his hand, my fingers glide over the callouses on his palm and fingers. I feel every ridge and bump. Feeling of each finger individually – my thumb and index finger gently stroke each knuckle. I then move to the back of his hand and feel each knuckle there before moving on to every bone in his hand. I hold his hand and move his wrist in a circular motion, testing mobility and feeling for any tension or resistance.
Before I finish the first hand, I hear his breathing become heavier and faster. I can see the quickening rise and fall of his massive chest as I take my time with his hand. He takes a half step closer to me and now he’s towering over me. I can feel his hot breath and his all-male scent envelops me. I’m not short by any means but I’m not super-model tall either. I’m just the average five-foot-five-inch female. He’s a couple of inches over six feet tall, with wide shoulders, muscular arms, trim waist and muscular legs. There’s not an ounce of fat visible on him anywhere I can see with him wearing his tank top and shorts.
The hands and wrists of a fighter are important – any weaknesses in them could mean the difference between a win and a career-ending loss. The fact that my touch is turning him on is just a plus that I hadn’t intended and I really have to focus to keep from enjoying it too much myself. Right now, I’m pretty sure I have ADD because I can’t keep my mind where it’s supposed to be. That’s even more obvious since I didn’t even notice William approaching us from the other side of the gym until he was almost touching my arm.
Luke’s smooth voice is low but it still startles me when he says, “You have a great voice. I liked watching you on stage last night.”
I can feel the warmth spread to my cheeks and I know I’m blushing. For one thing, I jumped a little when he spoke, but the main reason I’m blushing was the way he said it. He knew I was looking at him, singing to him, last night. I didn’t have a clue who he was and with the lights pointed at the stage, I couldn’t even see him that well. But I saw his eyes well enough and they were glued to mine just like they were earlier today. I considered approaching him after my song was over but I chickened out. I’m not into one-night stands and any girl who leaves a club with a guy knows that’s all it will ever really be.
I finally find my voice after the heat in my face starts to fade. I smile at him and respond, “Thanks. It took me a few minutes to realize that you’re the guy I saw there last night. Those stage lights sort of blind you, but I recognized your eyes.”
William Lancaster is a big guy and has been coming to Mack’s gym for several years. He’s not really interested in being the next big name in boxing but he does enjoy sparring with the others. His muscles aren’t cut and defined like most of the other guys in here, but make no mistake that the man is all muscle. He’s thick like a power lifter. I think he has a bit of a crush on me though he’s never made a move. It could be more of a protective big brother thing, I’m really not sure. But right now, one thing I am sure of is that he doesn’t like Luke.
“Andi,” William says with a deceptively calm voice, “why is this guy so close to you?” William is talking to me but his eyes are cutting through Luke like a hot knife through butter. I have to give Luke credit – he doesn’t move or show the slightest bit of fear. That’s actually pretty impressive because William is no less than daunting.
“It’s okay, Will. Pop asked me to check him out and I need to make sure his hands are okay before I put him on the bag or the speed ball.” I keep my voice calm and even because William will not hesitate to pounce on him if he hears the sligh
test tremor in my voice. He would take it as fear when I’m really just hyperaware of the intense feelings Luke stirs deep in my belly…and I mean low and deep.
Luke maintains eye contact with Will, and even though I respect him for it, Will is a little like a wild animal in this sense. Eye contact is a direct challenge and he’s surprisingly fast for his size and thickness. I place one hand on Will’s arm, causing him to look at me and break the silent argument of which man has the most testosterone. I don’t do this to make Will “lose” this contest; I do this to save Luke without embarrassing him.
I give Will a sweet smile, truly meaning it because I know without a doubt he would protect me and I love him for it. “I’m okay, Will. Really. You know I’d tell you if I was uncomfortable.”
“If you say so, Andi,” Will replies to me warmly before turning his gaze briefly back to Luke and hardening his voice as he continued, “I still don’t like how he’s looking at you, though. He’d be…safe…if he remembers that.”
I still hold one of Luke’s hands in mine and I feel him tense, his body preparing for a fight and I quickly squeeze his hand and slightly tug on it. Not enough that Will would notice but enough for Luke to look at me. I barely shook my head from side to side, signaling “no,” and allow Will walk away to resume his workout. The fire burning in Luke’s eyes is unmistakable and that fury is now aimed at me. Still, he doesn’t scare me, even though I don’t really know him, I have no doubt that he would never hurt me. Even if Will wasn’t just a few feet away.
* * *
LUKE
I thought I was totally fucked when I basically shushed her when I was calling the guy “Andy.” Turns out Andi is a girl…my little vixen. I did not see that coming at all. Who knew? All I could think of at that moment was how she was about to kick me out and I’d have to answer my family’s questions about my dream being flushed down the toilet.
My parents are good people but they don’t understand or support my dream at all. My dad thinks I should go into some kind of business, or work for him, and make a fortune like he did. Like my brother and sister both did. My mom is embarrassed by my boxing dream. She thought I should stick to what I originally went to college to be, but that path is lost to me now.
Mom can’t tell her friends what I’m really doing because she can’t stand the thought of them looking at her with such pity of how I turned out. Surely they would have to wonder what my parents did wrong with me, right? I’m the black sheep and I know this is my last shot to make my dream a reality. If I’m turned away here, there’s nothing else for me to do. No other trainer around here can do what Mack and his team does.
She had every right to skewer me right in front of every man in the gym for the way I treated her. But she didn’t. She did just the opposite – she let me keep my dignity and acted as though I didn’t just treat her like shit. She just earned every bit of respect I can give her and I fully intend on giving her that respect. It may kill me because there’s hardly anything I want more right now than to throw her over my shoulder and carry her off to my man-cave to have my way with her.
But right now, she’s focusing on my hand and it just feels too damn good to move. I’m thoroughly enjoying this – how the smooth skin of her hands feels as she gently massages the roughness of mine. She checks every square millimeter of my hand for weaknesses. If her hands feel this good on my hands, I can’t imagine how good they’ll feel when she puts them on my body. That’s what I’m fantasizing about right now, ever since she took my hand in hers.
When she first told me to give her my hand, I wasn’t sure if I should trust her. She had every reason to humiliate me in some insanely embarrassing way, but the look in her eyes when she motioned for my hand was warm and inviting. Not cold and calculating. I reluctantly gave her my hand and now I’m so damn glad I did. Nothing – and no one-has felt this good in a long time.
I knew it would be her after she sang that song last night. The way she looked at me from the stage, I was sure she was singing it only for me. The words of I’m With You still ring in my head and I don’t even like Avril Lavigne’s music – chick music. But I hear it in Andi’s voice and I wonder if the words have meaning for us. We don’t know each other, but as girly as this sounds, it also feels like we do know each other.
I would never admit this shit to anyone – not her, not my friends – they’d all think I’ve turned into some pussy. But she had to feel it, too. Last night when she sang to me and right now, when she’s rubbing my hand with her velvety touch, there’s a connection between us.
She just admitted that she saw me there – she said she recognized me by my eyes today. I knew she was singing to me. The words still play over and over in my head. Every word was meant for us but the chorus stays with me. She’s taken my hand in hers and I feel her on another level.
I’m so lost in thoughts of her hands, her voice, how she looked at me when she sang those words, and how she looked at me when I walked in the gym today, that I don’t even realize there’s a giant standing about a half-inch from us. And that giant is pissed. He’s apparently pissed at me as he questions Andi about why I’m so close to her.
I didn’t even realize I had moved in closer to her but now that he has pointed it out, I realize that I am really damn close to her. I know I can’t move now without showing weakness. Andi’s calm voice speaks to the giant and calls him Will. Will’s gaze hasn’t moved from me at all even though he continues to speak to Andi. I refuse to look away because I’m not backing down from anyone – not when I have so much on the line.
From my peripheral vision, I see Andi’s hand moving to Will’s arm and he finally looks away from me. She speaks to him again and I see him relax somewhat. He likes her – no doubt about it. But he wants to protect her more than anything else and right now he sees me as a threat to her. When Will turns to issue an indirect threat to me, I am ready to throw down. No man threatens me and then doesn’t back up his words.
I am planning my first move when I feel Andi squeeze my hand and lightly tug on me until I look at her. I can see her barely shake her head, telling me not to carry out my plan of jumping the un-jolly giant standing beside us. I can see pleading in her eyes and she distracts me long enough that Will walks off with the last word in our silent war of determination.
When I realize he not only got away with threatening me, but I didn’t even say one word in retaliation, I am beyond furious with her but even more with myself. Since when do I let some girl distract me this way? This is un-fucking-believable! I can’t help but think that she did that to get back at me for hurting her little feelings earlier. Add getting played to how I was just made to look like a chump and pussy and now I’m beyond pissed. I can’t even see straight.
Keeping my voice low to avoid causing a huge scene, I basically hiss my words at her. “What. The. Fuck. Do you think you’re doing? Don’t ever even try to call me down again.” I lean in closer to her face with each word until I’m really in her face. I know I’m a big guy and I expect her to be scared and yell for Will to come save her.
And I’m completely wrong in assuming she’d be scared of me. I watch the fire build in her gray eyes until they become more of a gray-blue as my words and my stance sink in. She closes what little gap I left between us as she hisses her retort to me.
“You have NO. FUCKING. IDEA. Who you were just dealing with. Not only is he far more trained than you are, he has been coming here for YEARS and Mack would never tolerate a new guy fighting with Will. Especially over something as stupid as your fucking pride. I just saved your ass and no one else in here even knew what was going on. You should be kissing my ass right now!”
“How would you know he’s ‘more trained’ than me?” I growl back at her.
“I said FAR more trained,” she growls back. Damn, this girl isn’t backing down from me even one inch.
Then she continues to shred me with her next words, “And I know because I’ve seen you fight before! Professional boxing r
ules are quite a bit different than your street boxing rings, but Will’s been trained by the best and he’s damn good. From what I saw of your fight with El Toro, you wouldn’t stand a chance against Will right now.”
I glance around the room, checking to see who all had heard our little interaction, but thankfully no one was paying attention. Not even Will. I need a minute to think about my response but I have none.
If she knew I’d fought El Toro, she must have been there. If Mack trusts her to “check me out,” then there’s no doubt she knows what to look for in a fighter. And add yet another strike to my ego and confidence.
“Can I do my job now?” Her voice is calm again and holds no trace of the anger she just spewed at me. Okay, I started the fight and deserved the anger from her in return, but I’m not admitting that it’s my fault right now. She just keeps surprising me and throwing me completely off balance. I simply nod once and she starts her examination of my other hand in the exact manner she did the first one. She gives no indication of any confrontation at all and after a minute or two, her touch has a calming effect on me.
“I didn’t mean to be so harsh, Luke. I’m sorry for that. I had planned to tell you that I’d seen you fight before and I know the rules of the street circuit are different than pro boxing, but you have real talent. But I didn’t plan to make it sound like a put-down. If this – going pro-is what you really want, I believe you can do it.”
She is so genuine – her tone, her words, her demeanor – they all prove she means what she said. She isn’t just blowing smoke up my ass. And those words, her apology and her belief in me, is the best thing anyone has ever said to me. In my whole life. And just like that, she showed me again that she deserves every bit of respect I can give her.
Wicked Nights Page 25
